The Single Game
by AwesomeSauce76
Summary: New girl Bella Swan is finally ready to start dating again, but the only boy she's interested in is too shy to even talk to her. Why are her friends convinced that the answer to her problem is some crazy party game… with kissing? AU/AH, BPOV, COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Hello to all of you who have read my stories before, and welcome if you are a new reader. I'm not going to have a lot of A/N's in this story, but I wanted to let you all know that this fic is a little different for me. It's almost a drabble fic, meaning fairly small chapters, but faster updates.(At least I hope so) You are welcome to review about anything you like, but please don't waste the time to complain about the chapter length. They are supposed to be short, so I am letting you know that ahead of time.

I haven't had a lot of drive to write anything lately, so when I had this little plot bunny take up residence a few weeks ago, I decided that it must want to be written. This is all kind of new territory for me, so please be patient. I've never written a high school fic or any kind of humor, I've never written a drabble, and I've never gone longer than a few chapters without a lemon. That's not to say that there won't be a lemon later on, but we're gonna have to work for it a bit, which is also new for me. I've never written in BPOV at all, so I really wanted to challenge myself. This started out as a oneshot, but it kept growing, so now I'm not quite sure where it will end.

I'm hoping to upload at least one chapter a day, but that might have to wait a bit over Christmas since I'm going out of town for a week and I don't know if I'll have access to the internet very often.

That being said, if you're still willing to come along for the ride, I hope you enjoy!

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><p>.<p>

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I was surprised to find that I actually _liked_ living in Forks.

When I had moved in with my father a few months back at the start of my senior year, I had only been hoping for a change of scenery to get me by until graduation. I figured that _any_ change of scenery would do; even the dreary, rainy shithole that my father had lived in his entire life had to be better than spending another year at my old high school in Phoenix.

I had been happy there once... my life was perfect.

Or so I'd thought.

I had everything that I thought was necessary for the perfect high school experience: decent grades, popular friends, sexy jock boyfriend that everybody wanted and a mother who was gone all the time with her minor-league baseball playing husband. Life was good.

However, my mother still trusted me to be responsible while she was gone, and for the most part I was. I never threw parties, I never did drugs and I never even thought about touching alcohol unless there was absolutely no possible way I could get caught.

My only real weakness was sex.

It wasn't like I was a slut or anything like that; Riley was my first and only. However, I had the house all to myself and a very eager boyfriend, so it didn't take long before I was on the pill and stashing condoms in my bedroom – even in that I was responsible.

To this day I still don't know why I loved doing it so much. I mean, it wasn't like it was the greatest in the world or anything. I kept hoping that Riley would take some of my subtle hints on where and how to touch me, but he seemed to be preoccupied with getting himself off as fast as possible. I'd heard that that's just how it was for high school sex, so I tried not to get too upset with him. I'd usually just wait 'til he left and finish the job myself.

That's not to say that I didn't ever enjoy it. It always felt really good while it lasted, and I would get so turned on by getting him worked up. I felt so much control when he would start panting and begging, desperate for me… so much power. I couldn't get enough.

Apparently he couldn't, either.

I found out over the summer that not only had he been cheating on me, but that he had been sleeping with every single one of my friends. Victoria, Tanya, Kate… even my closest friend, Jane; they had all been fucking him behind my back for months. When I finally heard the rumors I confronted them, and those skanky bitches actually had the nerve to tell me that it was no big deal and that I was overreacting. They told me in no uncertain terms that it was simply what they did, and that I needed to "_learn how to share_."

Fuck. That.

So, that brought me here… to Forks, Washington. As soon as I could convince my mother that I really wanted to spend some quality time with my dad before I went away to college, I was on the first plane out of town. It wasn't _totally_ a lie; I did miss my dad, but I never missed where he lived. I expected it to be boring and lonely, but anything was better than going back to that school again.

Some people might say that I was being immature to run away from my problems rather than face them head on, but those people can go fuck themselves. Even just thinking about what Riley had done still sent me running to the bathroom to empty my stomach, so how the hell could I be expected to have all of them shoved in my face every day?

It didn't take very long for me to realize that Forks was just what I needed.

It was a much smaller school than I was used to, but I found out that it had its advantages. Due to the small classes, all of the kids had pretty much known each other since birth. They still had their small cliques here and there, but I found the lines to be much more blurred. Jocks were on the honor roll and hung out with computer geeks, cheerleaders hung out with kids in the band and stoners were friends with everybody. Nobody really gave a crap who you were or what you did, as long as you were true to yourself.

It was a welcome change from what I was used to. Being Riley's girlfriend, I had been expected to dress and act a certain way. If I did anything remotely questionable, I was called out by my so-called friends. Either I didn't wear the right brand of jeans or the music I played wasn't cool enough or the TV shows I liked were lame. They drilled it into my head until I was just like them. I could see now that I was at serious risk of losing everything about myself that made me who I was.

By the end of my first week at Forks, I was already wearing my favorite hoodie again and my chucks had never felt so good. All of my advanced classes had a nice mixture of people in them, and for once I didn't feel like a freak because I liked to read. Everyone was welcoming and kind and I instantly felt like I belonged.

By the end of my second week, I realized that I didn't really miss Phoenix at all. It also dawned on me that Riley had been a shit boyfriend even before he started fucking around on me and I was better off alone than with someone like that. As far as I was concerned, I was done with boys until further notice.

Now, if I could just stop missing sex, everything would be perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

_God_ I miss sex.

It's been two months since I moved, and it hasn't gotten any better. There aren't even any boys that interest me, so I don't know why I can't stop obsessing about it, but I miss the closeness… I miss the intimacy.

I'm also starting to wonder if it might be better with someone new, which has me reevaluating the whole 'no boys' idea. The only problem is… who?

"Earth to Bella!"

"Huh?" I blinked a few times to find Alice waving her hand in front of my face. We were sitting at a table in the back of the library during study hall, and apparently I had zoned out again. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you were going to Emmett's party after the game tomorrow."

"Oh. I don't know, I guess I hadn't really given it much thought."

"Well, you're certainly giving _something_ a lot of thought," she giggled. "Where were you just now?"

I could feel my telltale blush heating my cheeks. "Uh… nowhere I should have been." I tried to start reading where I had left off, but Alice wasn't going to drop it so easily.

"Come on, tell me! Are you crushing on someone? You totally had that crush face going on." Alice had already become one of my closest friends and I learned quickly that she was extremely observant.

"No, and keep your voice down!" I gave her a scolding look, but she simply arched her eyebrow at me to let me know that she was still waiting. I looked around us before leaning in closer. "Okay… I'm not crushing on anyone… but I'm starting to wonder if I want to be."

"I don't think I get it," she whispered.

"You and Jasper have sex, right?"

"What does that have to do with anything we're talking about?" she huffed. Alice and Jasper had been dating since sophomore year, and I had never met a cuter couple. He was this tall, gangly stoner with longish blonde hair and a black trench coat he never seemed to take off, while Alice was this tiny little thing with spiky black hair and straight A's. They were so different, but when they were together it just made sense.

"Just answer the question, and don't try to lie because I know he goes over to your house all the time."

"Of course we do, but I still don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Well… when I was with my ex—"

"Riley?" Alice knew I had broken up with someone before I moved, but not all the gory details.

"Yeah." I grimaced at the sound of his name. "Anyway, we used to… a lot. And while I don't miss _him_, I miss sharing that with someone."

"So you're horny," she said, nodding in understanding.

"Not just that," I laughed, shaking my head at her directness. "Yes, I miss it… but I've never been one to sleep around and I haven't really noticed any good boyfriend prospects so far."

"So you miss playing Slap & Tickle, but there's nobody here you wanna play Slap & Tickle with, is that right?"

"Exactly."

"But Bella, there are a _lot_ of cute single guys here. I bet you could have any of them you wanted."

"I don't know about all _that_, but I do know that I've been so gun-shy about dating again that I haven't really paid any attention to anyone. Now that I think I might be ready to try again, I have no idea where to start."

"Ooh!" she gasped, ripping a sheet of paper out of her notebook. "Let's make a list!"

"A list?"

"Yeah, something to help us narrow down what to look for."

I watched as she drew a line down the center of the paper, making two columns. At the top of the left side, she wrote _Must Have_, and at the top of the right side she wrote _Absolutely Not_.

"Okay." Alice smiled brightly, tapping her pen on the paper. "Give me some criteria."

I was about to tell her that I had no idea what to say, but when I opened my mouth, out popped, "No jocks."

"Really?" She frowned, scribbling in the second column. "Well that narrows it down a bit."

"It reminds me too much of Riley. In fact… I think the exact opposite of him is a perfect place to start."

"Okay, well, since I never met him, I'm gonna need more to go on than 'not Riley.'"

"Right… sorry. Let's see… no blondes, if possible. No blue eyes, either."

"That's all superficial stuff, Bella. It has nothing to do with what kind of person they are."

"Alright, then how about no manwhores?" I snapped.

Alice blinked a few times as she absorbed what I said before nodding quickly and scribbling a bit more on her list. "Now we're talking," she said with a smile. After a moment, she reached over and simply patted the back of my hand without any further comment. It was her way of letting me know that she understood what I had gone through, but she wasn't going to pry. It was pure Alice, and I loved her for it. After a few moments of silence she sighed and added, "How about a few musts? It sounds like you want someone who doesn't have a lot of experience, is that right?"

"I don't know. I mean, knowing what to do isn't a bad thing, but Riley was experienced before me and he _still_ didn't have a fucking clue." We both broke out into a fit of giggles over that one before the truth of the situation hit me. "Actually, I think you're right. I'm tired of smarmy guys who think they are all that. I'd rather have someone who didn't know and was honestly willing to learn."

I watched as she thought for a moment and wrote _Eager virgin ready for training_ in the left column.

"Nicely put," I chuckled.

"I thought so," she smiled brightly. "Anything else?"

"Yeah…" I tapped my chin in thought. "Maybe a little shy. No more cocky jerks."

"I think that's a good start to our list," Alice said, putting her things away before the bell rang. "Now I just have to figure out who the hell fits it."

"I know, I'm not going to hold my breath on that one."

"You know what you should do? Come to Emmett's party. You never come and I think you'd really like it. His parties are always a blast, and there are going to be a lot of single guys there."

"That's all I need," I groaned. "A bunch of drunken guys slobbering on me. Besides, I've never been huge on parties, and my dad's a cop, remember?" If I thought I had been responsible before when I lived with my mom, it was nothing compared to how I acted now that I lived with my police chief father.

"No, they're not like that, really. There's no booze allowed after one of the other players got busted two years ago. The coach told them that anyone caught drinking would be immediately kicked off the team, so Emmett tried to make his parties fun in… other ways."

"I'm not going to an orgy, either."

"Stop jumping to conclusions, Bella. He just has a huge rec room in his basement with tons of things to do. There's a pool table, a dartboard, a pinball machine, and just about every game console you can think of. We always have a good time whenever we go." She looked wistful for a moment before adding, "It's the first place Jasper and I ever kissed. Of course, it was just during The Single Game, but it made us admit that we liked each other."

"What's The Single Game?"

"You've never played that? Oh, it can be really fun! It's sort of like an advanced Spin the Bottle. You should really go; you might just find a new Slap & Tickle partner." She winked at me as she stood up and grabbed her bag when the bell rang. I followed after her, rolling my eyes.

"Slap & Tickle… The Single Game… Spin the Bottle? Jeez, Alice. That is officially too many games for one conversation."

"Oh, you know you're interested. Stop pretending you're not."

"I'm… considering." I glanced at the clock and started heading in the opposite direction. "I gotta go, I have Biology. Am I still getting a ride from you after school?" My rusted-out shitbox of a truck that my dad had bought off his buddy for me to drive around town had broken down, yet _again_, and I was left begging my friends for rides until it was fixed. I tried not to complain to him too often about it, though, because I didn't want to sound like an ungrateful bitch. I mean, not everyone's dad buys them a car at all, shitbox or not.

"Oh, crap! I forgot I have band practice after school." Alice played flute in the marching band during football season. "I can still take you if you don't mind waiting in the gym for an hour."

"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks!" I figured I could just sit in the stands while they practiced their marching and get my homework done early if I had to.

I turned and ran down the hall, just making it to my next class before the last bell rang. As I dumped my bag on the table, I sat down with a huff next to my lab partner. I couldn't get all the things Alice and I had talked about out of my mind.

Was I really ready to start dating again?

Could I trust someone enough to be that intimate again?

And, most importantly, how would I ever find anyone like the boy on my list?

"Hey… are you okay?" a soft, gentle voice asked beside me. "You seem a little upset."

"Huh?" I looked over at the concerned boy sitting next to me, blinking at me behind a pair of black-framed glasses. I think it was the most words I'd ever heard him put together at one time. "Sorry, Edward. Don't mind me today. I'm just a little preoccupied, I guess."

"Okay," he whispered, more to himself than me.

So, where was I? Oh yeah… how would I know when I had found him?

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><p>AN: For anyone wondering, I was TOTALLY picturing Daniel Gale from Bad Mother's Handbook when I thought of this Edward. At least from the neck up. ;-)


	3. Chapter 3

I'm thrilled with the feedback so far, but just for the record, Bella is NOT a sex addict. She's just a girl who misses something that she enjoyed doing, and wants to do it again, only with someone who will treat her better. She's not a nympho who's going to bang everyone she meets.

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><p>.<p>

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Later that day, I was sitting in the bleachers of our tiny football field. Thank God it wasn't raining, but I was bundled up in as many layers as I could find and wondering how the hell I was supposed to finish my homework with my thick mittens shoved over my gloves.

"A little chilly, are we?" I heard a familiar voice chuckling next to me. I braced myself before looking up at the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Even now, it sometimes hurt to look at her.

"Shut up, Rose. I'm still used to the Arizona heat."

Rosalie Hale was my other closest friend so far. She and Alice were inseparable, and when I showed up two months ago not knowing anyone, they sort of adopted me like a little lost puppy.

"I still don't think you need all those layers. It's only October, for God's sake, and it's still daytime. How are you going to handle going to all the football games if we make the playoffs?"

"Well, from what I've heard, there isn't a big risk of that," I teased. "Also, there's an advantage to wearing these thick mittens." I held up my hand at her to demonstrate.

"What's that?"

"I'm totally flipping you off right now, and you can't even tell."

She threw her head back and laughed, and even _that_ sounded supernaturally beautiful, like a fairy's orgasm or something. "Okay, you got me there." She sat down next to me on the bleachers and looked at the textbook in my lap. "So what are you doing here, anyway? This isn't exactly the warmest place for homework, especially for a cold weather pussy like you."

"Bitch!" I laughed, shoving my shoulder into hers. "Sorry if I'm not comfortable with my ass hanging out in forty degree weather like you are." I nodded towards the little cheerleading skirt she wore. I often teased her that the only reason she was comfortable in this weather was because she didn't have any feeling left in her ass after years of frostbite. "I'm waiting for Alice to get done with band practice so I can get a ride home."

"Oh yeah, the truck took a shit again. I forgot."

"Yep," I sighed. "I wouldn't mind so much if it didn't always mean putting up with that douchebag son of my dad's friend coming around."

"That Jake kid you mentioned?"

"Yeah. He always volunteers to work on it for free, then he struts around my yard half naked like he's God's gift."

"Ah, so he's a _subtle_ peacock," she teased.

"Subtle like a freight train." I rolled my eyes, laughing at the memory of him clearly freezing his ass off to try to impress me. "It's not like he isn't good looking, but I am so over guys who are that full of themselves."

"I know what you mean," Rose said, nodding her head in agreement. "That's one of the things that I love about Emmett. He knows he's good looking, but he isn't cocky about it. He doesn't act like the world owes him a favor just because he's hot."

Hot was an understatement. It only made sense that the most gorgeous girl I'd ever seen would be with the walking definition of muscle-bound jock. He was this huge, crazy-ripped guy, but he was one of the nicest people I'd ever met and he had the brightest smile in the world, surrounded by the biggest dimples in all creation. Together he and Rosalie made such a striking couple that you had to gasp when they walked in a room.

"Hey, why aren't you with the squad? Aren't you supposed to be practicing now, too?"

"They're down there," she said, gesturing towards the track around the field. "We're taking a quick break, so I wanted to come talk to you."

"What about?"

"Alice said you might actually come to the party tomorrow, and I'm hoping to lock in a firm yes."

"What is it about this party? There have been others and you guys never made this much fuss about it."

"Because," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "They are always fun, but every party you don't show for just bums us out more each time. We both think you should come hang out, because everyone really likes you."

Okay. Fucking Awwww.

"Yeah," I choked out over the lump in my throat. "Okay. I'll go."

"You will? Excellent!" She jumped up and started doing her enthusiastic cheerleader clap.

"God, go away before I change my mind," I grumbled. "I can't handle that much energy so close to me."

"Oh, stop being a brat," she laughed, patting me on the head like her good little puppy. "I gotta get back." She went to turn but suddenly stopped and looked down at me again. "Oh, hey… I've got a few guys in mind. Well, one kind of jumps out at me more than the others, but that's just my opinion."

"For what?"

"For your list, silly!"

"Jesus Christ, Rosalie!" I snapped, looking around us to see if anybody heard her. "Keep your voice down!" I could already feel my face heating up from the total mortification I was feeling.

"What are you embarrassed about? I think it's a great idea; it's about time you started noticing some of the guys around here." She looked past me for a moment before glancing back down at me, a curious smile on her face.

"I just don't want everyone to think I'm desperate or anything, because I'm not. I'm just trying to open myself up for possibilities."

"And like I said, it's about damn time."

"Rosalie! Come on, already!" Jessica Stanley yelled up at her. "We'd like to go home some time tonight!"

"Guess break's over," she sighed. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Yeah, later." I was still embarrassed that Alice had shown the list to her, but I couldn't really be mad about it. I hadn't told her not to, and in all honesty, they practically shared a brain. There was no way that Rosalie wasn't going to find out.

"Hey, Edward!" she called out past me, waving before she turned and ran down the bleachers.

I turned around just in time to see him returning her wave timidly. He was on the same bleacher as me, but farther towards the other end.

"Oh, hi!" I smiled at him. "I didn't see you over there."

"Hi, Bella," he said quietly, nodding his head in my direction.

His voice didn't carry very well over the wind, so I tossed my book in my bag and walked over closer to him.

"What brings you out here?" I asked when I was close enough to hear him. Sitting down next to him on the bench, I pointed out to the marching band. "I'm stuck here waiting on a ride. How 'bout you?"

"Emmett," he mumbled, gesturing towards the field with one hand, his other thumb stuck in the pages of a well-worn paperback. I couldn't tell the title he was reading, but when I looked back up at his face I saw a definite blush creeping up his cheeks, so I didn't ask what it was.

Hey, maybe he had some secret romance novel fetish. Who was I to judge?

"Yeah, you give him rides sometimes, right?" Emmett was even worse off than me; his parents flat out refused to buy him a car. They wanted him to pay for one himself so he would appreciate it, but he had so many afterschool activities that they wanted him to join that he had absolutely no time for a job. It sounded like some pretty fucked up logic, if you asked me.

Edward simply nodded his head in reply.

I remembered Rosalie mentioning something about them being best friends for as long as she could remember, but I never got it. He was always so quiet whenever we all hung out that I don't have any idea how anybody got to know him well enough to be considered best friends. Just like now, nodding and mumbling always seemed to be his main form of communication.

Being his lab partner wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world, but somehow we made it work.

"What did you think of that dissection today in Bio?" At his silent shrug, I kept talking. "I thought it was gonna gross me out, but it ended up being kind of interesting." I tried to catch his eye to make sure that he was listening, but he kept glancing away at the last minute. It didn't help that his glasses kept getting in my way, either. Sure, they were sort of geek-chic cute on him, but at the moment they were pissing me off.

I watched in wonder as he started flipping the pages of his book nervously, like he needed something to do with his hands. Back and forth, he would flip them loudly like a cartoon flipbook, only to turn it over and start again from the other side.

"Any idea what Mr. Banner is gonna give us to dissect for the final? I know it's a couple months away, but they just keep getting grosser."

"Dunno," he muttered, following it up with another one of his now-famous shrugs. I saw his eyes dart quickly to me, then instantly back down to the book he was torturing in his hands when he saw that I was watching.

It finally dawned on me that I was probably annoying the shit out of him.

Great. Take a hint, Bella.

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry for being rude. You're over here trying to read and I'm all in your face." I waited for him to say something, just in case I was assuming the worst, but he only stared at me like a deer in headlights. I took his silence as all the confirmation I needed. "Uh… well… I'll let you get back to it, okay? See you tomorrow in class."

As I returned to my abandoned homework, I wanted to kick myself for being an inconsiderate jackass. Sure, he was a little awkward, but Edward was a nice enough guy. He didn't need me forcing him to keep me company just because I was bored.

.

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><p>AN: Does anyone have five bucks to loan Bella so that she can buy a clue?


	4. Chapter 4

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The next day in study hall I couldn't stop myself from leaning over and asking Alice the question that had been bothering me all night.

"Why doesn't Edward ever say anything?"

"Who, Cullen?" She looked at me like I was crazy. "What do you mean? He talks."

"No, I know he _can_ talk, what I want to know is why he chooses not to."

"Bella, I honestly don't know what you're talking about. There are times we can't get that boy to shut up."

"Bullshit," I blurt out bluntly.

"No, really. Don't ever get him and Emmett talking about fucking video games or computers; I swear to God, they never stop. Then Jasper will go and bring up some dumb shit like Start Wars or Lord of the Rings, and then it starts all over again."

"Then why the hell won't he ever talk to _me_?"

"He doesn't? I thought I saw you two talking last night at practice."

"No. What you saw was me talking and him blowing me off."

"That can't be right." Alice shook her head. "He's a really nice guy. He doesn't blow people off."

"I'm telling you what happened. I thought I was just annoying him last night, but now I'm starting to think that he just doesn't like me at all."

"Oh Bella, come on! Why wouldn't he like you?"

"I don't know, but I must have done something to piss him off right from the get go. Maybe he thinks I'm a dipshit and doesn't want to be stuck as my lab partner." For some reason that thought made me feel really sad. I had always thought he was a nice guy, if not a bit quiet. It upset me to think that I had been annoying him that whole time.

"I'm sure that's not it." She got a look on her face like something had just dawned on her. "Even if what you say is true, which I still say is not, why does that bother you? You never cared about talking to Edward Cullen before." She dropped her voice to a dramatic whisper. "Do you think you _like_ him?"

"How could I like him, Alice? I don't _know_ him! Until thirty seconds ago I thought he never talked to anybody about anything. I've honestly never even considered him because he was always just some quiet guy in the corner."

"Well, maybe you should."

"Maybe I should what?" I was getting frustrated by the direction of our conversation, and I didn't know why.

"Consider him. There are certainly worse guys out there."

"Don't talk like that." I shook my head, getting more upset by the minute. "Don't make me look for something that isn't there. How can I consider him when I'm apparently the only person in the world he won't talk to?"

"Won't… or _can't_?" She looked at me meaningfully, willing me to understand what she was saying.

"That doesn't make any sense!"

The bell rang loudly, startling me. I used that chance to end our uncomfortable conversation and told her that I'd see her after school.

"Wait, you're still coming to the party after the game tonight, right?"

Fuck! That's all I needed.

"Yeah," I huffed, running my hands through my long brown hair. "But I don't know how much fun I'll be."

"Don't think like that," Alice said, patting me on the shoulder. "You're going to have a great time, I just know it. I'll pick you up before the game. Just tell your father that you're sleeping at my house tonight; we'll end up there after the party, anyway."

I nodded and turned around, heading down the hall. After this newest revelation about Edward, I was seriously dreading my next class.

When I got to Biology he was already seated at our desk. Part of me wanted to run right up to him and shake him until he talked to me, while the other part of me just wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. I had no idea what was bothering me more: the possibility that he had quietly hated me for months or the chance that I was starting to like him.

I was so confused. If I was really starting to think about him as more than a lab partner, then my instincts were telling me to try and talk to him… maybe see if I could get him to open up to me. But then I remembered the way he was avoiding me the night before, and how obvious it was that I was talking too much and getting on his nerves. Suddenly, talking to him felt like the _last_ thing I should do, for fear of bothering him even more. I had no idea what to do.

So I took a page out of Edward Cullen's handbook.

I did absolutely nothing.

When I sat down next to him and he mumbled his usual "Hey," I just nodded and stared straight ahead.

When Mr. Banner handed out our assignments for the day, I slid his copy over to him without even looking at him.

When we had to work as a team to identify the different stages of mitosis on onion root slides, I simply looked in the microscope, whispered what I thought it was and shoved the microscope at him. I had no idea if I was right or not, but apparently we were, because we won the stupid fucking Golden Onion for doing it the fastest.

Hell, maybe I should have shut up in class a long time ago. Normally I would have asked him about each slide and told him what I thought, trying to get any kind of a reply out of him that I could. Maybe this was for the best; we were already winning awards for avoiding each other.

It didn't help my nerves, though.

Somehow I was even _more_ conscious of Edward than I had ever been before. Not looking at him didn't spare me any of my awkwardness; it was like I could just… _feel_ him next to me. When he handed me the last of our slides to put away, his fingertips brushed against mine and I had to stifle a gasp. It was like a jolt of pure electricity shooting over all of my nerve endings at once.

Why was this happening to me _now_? Surely we had touched before and it had never felt like that… hadn't we?

There were times when I could swear that I felt his eyes on me, but I couldn't bring myself to look. I didn't want to see him looking away again to avoid me, or even worse… find out that he hadn't been looking at all.

That's when it dawned on me that I definitely _wanted_ him to be looking at me, and the realization almost made me cry.

It really fucking sucked to be feeling loss at a moment when I should be feeling excitement over the possibilities.

As I gathered up my things in my bag, I couldn't help but notice his forearm on the table next to me. It was covered with the prettiest hair, and his muscles kept flexing. I looked up further, landing on the sight of his long, slender fingers clenching into a fist.

Why hadn't I ever noticed how sexy his hands were?

I suddenly mourned the loss of those beautiful fingers ever touching me.

And I mourned the friendship that I thought I'd had with a sweet, quiet boy.

When the bell finally rang, freeing me from that torment, I wiped at the traitorous tears that were beginning to spill over onto my cheeks. Tossing my bag over my shoulder, I muttered a barely audible, "Bye, Edward," before busting ass out of the room and heading straight to my locker.

When I finally got the combination to work, I threw the metal door open and shoved a few books inside. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down. There was no reason to get myself so worked up over something that quickly.

"Bella?" I heard his voice beside me. Why hadn't I ever realized how rich it sounded?

Perhaps it was because he was always mumbling and avoiding me.

I took another deep breath to steady myself before shutting my locker and turning to face him. "Yeah?"

He was looking down at me through those _fucking_ cute glasses, and all I could think in the back of my mind was: Why the hell didn't I know his eyes were green?

It took him a moment to speak; he kept looking at me, no doubt taking in the redness of my eyes and my puffy lids. It was without question the longest we had ever maintained eye contact.

"You weren't bothering me," he finally whispered.

"What?" I asked, not quite sure I had heard him right.

"Last night. You thought you were bothering me. I should have spoken up instead of letting you walk away."

"You don't have to spare my feelings, Edward. I get it. I know I sometimes talk too much." I looked at him and gave him a weak smile. "I'm just sorry that I didn't realize how annoying I was before now."

"No! _Dammit_… that's what I'm trying to tell you!" He looked almost frantic for a moment, like he didn't know what to do, and then the next thing I knew, his soft, beautiful hands were holding each side of my face, forcing me to look at him. His thumbs moved slightly over the surface of my cheeks, as if he were memorizing the texture, and I vaguely remember wanting to reach my tongue out and lick one of them when it got close to my mouth. "Listen to me, Bella. You have never annoyed me. _Never_."

He glanced down at my lips as he finished speaking, and I could swear that I heard the slightest whimper under his breath. Before I had time to process what that sound was doing to my body, he was gone.

I looked around, but he was nowhere in sight.

Leaning back against my locker for a moment, I let out a huge gust of air that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. My pulse was pounding in my ears and my legs felt wobbly.

What the fuck just happened?

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><p>AN: Yes, Bella. What the fuck, indeed.

If you have a minute, stop by my author page and check out the adorable banner Barburella threw together for me. I ADORE seeing different kinds of banners, manips and fanart. It's really touching when I see my writing inspire people.

There's also a link there to my twitter account, in case any of you want to follow me. I try to post announcements whenever a new chapter goes up.


	5. Chapter 5

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Later that night, after a quick dinner with my dad and a horribly boring football game, I was riding with Alice and Rosalie on the way to Emmett's place.

They spent the entire time we were in the car pumping me for information about what had happened earlier at my locker. I hadn't intended to mention anything about it to anyone, but Rosalie had taken one look at me in my next class and knew that something had seriously rattled me.

"I still say you're holding something back," she said from the front seat as she played with Alice's satellite radio.

"Rose! Would you drop it already? I swear that's everything that happened."

"Then why the hell did you look so shaken up? You should have seen your face; you looked like he had kissed you senseless!"

"I don't know! It was just something about the way he touched me…" My voice began to fade into a whisper. "And there was this little… sound he made."

"Ooh, what kind of a sound?" Alice piped in, peeking at me in her rearview mirror.

"Yeah, was he like, grunting and moaning?" Rose laughed, raising her eyebrows at me suggestively.

"No, you pervs, it was nothing like that." I stared off into space as I relived the moment again in my head. "It was like this adorable little whimper or something. It sounded almost… desperate." When I looked back at them, it was only to find that we had already arrived and they were both staring at me like I had grown a second head. "_What_?" I snapped. "It was just sexy, okay?"

"You are so totally sprung on him!" Alice shouted, hopping up and down in her seat.

"I am not!" I looked back and forth between them. "Am I?"

"Jesus, Bella," Rose barked. "How the hell did you ever date anyone if it takes you this long to figure out you like somebody?"

"That was different. Riley was way more aggressive. He told me right after we met that he thought I was cute and that we should go out sometime. And then we did; that's all there was to it. There weren't any of these guessing games or feelings of doubt. Well, until I found out he was fucking half the school, that is," I added sarcastically.

"You can't base all of your future experiences off of that one asshole," Alice advised. "Edward sounds like the exact fucking opposite, and maybe that's a good thing. He might not broadcast how he feels about you, but I can bet you a million dollars that he would never fuck you over like that."

"I fucking _knew_ he was perfect for her list," Rose said to Alice as if I wasn't even there. "I mean really, could anybody else here fit the bill like he can?"

"Oh my God, Rose! Edward is the guy you were talking about last night?" My voice had risen so loud that it was bouncing around inside the car.

"Fucking _duh_!" She rolled her eyes at me. "He's only been crazy about you since you came here. Are you really that blind?"

"No, I'm not blind; I'm just not used to guys who supposedly like me avoiding me like the plague."

"Bella, the last thing he does is avoid you. Where does he always sit for lunch?"

"Well, across from me… but that's just because the guys all sit on that side of the table. Isn't it?"

"Hell no," she laughed. "He always used to sit next to me so that he could talk across the table to Emmett. From the very first day we asked you to sit with us, he parked himself right across from you so that he could watch you when you weren't paying attention."

"You're right!" Alice gasped. "Now that you mention it, he's been so much quieter at lunch lately. I never noticed how much he clams up whenever she comes around."

"Dude, I'm telling you, it's Bree Tanner all over again," Rose said, causing her and Alice to burst into a fit of cackles so loud that I thought I might have to plug my ears.

"Um, guys? Hello? Focus!" I yelled, waving my hands in front of their faces. "Who the hell is Bree Tanner, and what is so funny?"

"Bree Tanner was this little girl we used to go to grade school with, before her family moved out of town," Alice explained to me excitedly, as if her life revolved around this little tidbit of grade school gossip. "Well anyway, Edward must have had a little crush on her, because whenever she would come near him, he wouldn't say a damn word. Seriously, he could be in the middle of a sentence, and if he saw her come into the room, he just stopped talking and started turning bright red."

"He was so damn nervous and shy around her," Rose added. "He could be totally comfortable with anyone else in the room, and then he would just get all flustered and embarrassed out of nowhere."

"Aw, that's… kind of cute," I said, thinking of a little sloppy-haired, four-eyed boy getting nervous over his crush.

"You haven't heard the worst of it yet," Alice continued. "When we were in third grade, Edward won the spelling bee. I mean, it was like a state-wide competition, and there was a huge championship in Seattle that the whole class made a trip to go see so they could support him. You should have seen him, up there on the stage in his little suit and tie that his mother made him wear, holding up his trophy with the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his face."

"That sounds so adorable," I giggled, picturing him way too easily.

"Yeah, that was until Bree happened," Rose said, interrupting my musings. "She walked up to him after the awards ceremony and told him that she was proud of him, then reached out and gave him a hug."

"What's so bad about that? That was actually really sweet of her," I said, feeling odd for defending the memory of a nine year old girl I'd never met.

"Well, she didn't know about Edward's little nervous problem. As soon as she let go, he got this scared look on his face and threw up all over her."

"Oh no!" I couldn't imagine how humiliating that had to be, for both of them.

"Yep. All over her, all over his little suit. Even on his trophy. It was really gross," Alice nodded. "I thought he'd gotten over his nerves, but now I see that there just hasn't been another girl who made him so nervous until now."

"Great," I grumbled, dropping my head into my hands. "I'm gonna want to kiss him, and he's gonna puke on me."

"Don't be stupid," Rose said. "I think it's safe to assume he's gotten at least a small hold on it now, or he would have puked on you already. What I want to know is how the hell we get him to open up for you. We need to get him in a situation where he absolutely must put himself out there so you can snag him up."

"Didn't he sort of already do that today?" I asked, thinking of the look on his face when he touched me.

"No." She shook her head. "It was a step in the right direction, but we need to make him see that he needs to either approach you… or become approachable."

"How are we supposed to do that?" I groaned. "You know damn well that I'm going to go into that party and he's going to be holed up in the corner playing a video game all night long, pretending like I'm not even there. Now, I'm not against making the first move for a change, but how can I make one if I can't get near him?"

"I know!" Alice practically screamed, bouncing in her seat again. Once she had our undivided attention, she simply looked at us and said, "The Single Game," like it was the answer to some great riddle.

"Oh fuck, that's _perfect_," Rosalie laughed excitedly, rubbing her hands together like the evil villain in a Bond film.

"Care to fill me in?" I huffed, tired of not knowing what was going on. "What is The Single Game, anyway? Alice never really explained it."

"Well, it's kinda like this awesome mixture of Truth or Dare and Spin the Bottle. There are two rounds: the Ice Breaker round, where everybody loosens up a bit, and then the Lip Lock round."

"Wait—so you all just kiss random people all night?" It sounded a little disgusting, to be honest.

"Sometimes. It all depends on what your instructions say for your turn."

"_Instructions_? God, this sounds cryptic."

"It's actually really fun, and a great way to get to know people better," Alice explained.

"Why do you think this game is going to help me?"

"Because, it's never a bad idea to remind a guy that he has competition. We want to force his hand… make him get off his ass for a change."

"Exactly," Rose jumped in. "I'd be willing to bet that seeing you kiss someone else… even just a tiny little peck… would drive him nuts."

"I don't know," I hedged. "I don't like the idea of playing head games with him. Why can't I just walk up to him and tell him that I know he likes me and I like him?"

"I said I _think_ it's safe to assume he won't puke on you, but do you really want to push it?" Rose said sarcastically. "We need him to man up on his own. If he isn't ready, it just won't work."

"And what happens if I go through all of this and he doesn't do a damn thing? What if seeing me kiss another guy just scares him off?"

They both stared blankly at me for a moment, as if the notion had never occurred to them. It was finally Alice who broke the silence. "Stop talking like that, Bella. You just have to keep a positive attitude."

Sure.

Positive attitude.

Easy for her to say.

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><p>Poor, nervous little Pukeward!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Bringing this one to you guys a little early today. I won't be home later tonight, so I thought you'd all prefer it earlier rather than later. ;-)

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><p>.<p>

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An hour later, I was actually managing to have a good time… or at least I was managing to act like I was.

Emmett's basement rec room was truly impressive and absolutely packed with kids from school. They were all split up into various groups, entertaining themselves with the many games he had set up. There was one group shooting darts, another one playing pinball, and half the football team fought over the pool table while the other half fought over the video games.

Edward, as I'd predicted, was camped out in front of the computer playing Skyrim.

To the untrained eye, he looked completely oblivious to me and everything else around him, but since I was armed with so much new information about him, I was able to spot a few tells that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. For starters, every single time I glanced in his direction, his eyes would shoot back to his screen as if he'd just been watching me out of his peripheral vision. The first few times, I thought I was just seeing what I wanted to see, but then I noted a slight pinking of his cheeks whenever it happened.

_That's right. Caught you staring at me, Pukey. _

Once I realized what was going on, I felt my confidence growing. Maybe the girls were right; if he already couldn't keep his eyes off me, perhaps it would only take a nudge in the right direction to make him actually _do_ something. That started me thinking that maybe I wouldn't have to kiss some other random dude later… maybe I could nudge him in another way.

From that point on, I did my best to be the life of the party. If he was going to just sit there and watch me, then I was going to give him a show.

I made my way around the room, joining in on each group's discussions. I didn't really try to flirt with any of the other guys there, although some of them certainly flirted with me, but I did try to make sure that everyone knew I was _obviously_ the most fun girl in the room… the goal being for Edward to realize that he was an idiot to sit by and let a great catch like me go. I laughed louder than everybody there, I leaned seductively against every inanimate object I could get my hands on, and I made sure to drop things as much as possible so that I would have to lean way over and pick them up in front of him.

Because I'm subtle like that.

When that didn't seem to be helping me at all, I moved on to my next plan… Operation: Just One of the Guys. I figured that maybe Edward would feel more comfortable if we had more in common than he realized. I wanted to prove that I could be someone he could relax with... someone he could be himself with.

I started by beating Emmett's ass at air hockey, which caused him to pout like a baby until Rose told him to grow up. Then I got into a rather loud and heated discussion with Jasper over who would survive in a zombie apocalypse: Captain Kirk or Darth Vader.

Yeah, word to the wise… don't _ever_ fucking argue with a stoner about that shit.

Alice had to finally break it up before things got bloody, dragging me into the bathroom and signaling Rose to join us. Once they had shut the door behind us, Alice spun around and glared at me.

"What the hell are you doing out there, Bella? What's with the desperate act?"

"What do you mean? I'm just trying to have a good time."

"Bullshit," Rosalie piped up. "I'm getting whiplash from trying to keep up with you out there. What are you trying to prove?"

"I don't know," I frowned. "I guess I was just…"

"Trying to make Edward notice how great you are?" Alice finished, quirking her eyebrow at me.

"Maybe," I whispered.

"Bella," Rose sighed, placing her hand on my shoulder. "We already know he's into you. He's been watching you all night."

"So what's so bad about trying to entice him?"

"Do you really want to intimidate him even more? Prancing around and showing him how amazing you are could just backfire in your face."

"How?"

"Think about it," Alice explained. "He could start getting it in his head that you're out of his league. For all we know, that's what's been stopping him so far. If he gets too worried about it he might never open up."

"This is getting ridiculous!" I huffed. "Why the hell can't I just ask him out on a date already?"

"Listen to me, Bella," Rose said, grabbing my shoulders and practically shaking me. "I have known Edward my whole life, and he's my boyfriend's best friend in the entire world. I know this seems like a lot of work, but I also know for a _fact_ that he's worth it. I wouldn't be telling you to do all of this if I didn't think you two would be perfect for each other. I know that he has the potential to treat the right girl like a fucking _queen_ if they let him, and from what you've told us about your past, it sounds like you could use the royal treatment right about now. Am I right?"

"Yes," I whispered, feeling the truth of her words in my bones.

"Then listen to us. You need to calm down out there. Talk to people and have a good time, but don't try so hard to be noticed; he's already watching. Just be patient until you play the game, and use that as a way to coax him out slowly. He'll probably just sit there and keep an eye on you while you play, but I know he won't be able to stand the idea of other guys getting that close to you."

"Exactly," Alice said. "I bet he'll be finding a way to talk to you pretty damn quickly after tonight. Just be patient with him and keep an eye out for any signals that he might be ready to move a little farther."

"Okay," I sighed. "I'll back off for now, but when the hell are we playing this damn game? I want to get this over with already." I looked between them both, blushing profusely. "I'd honestly rather just spend this time with Edward… getting to know him."

Rose looked at the clock on her cellphone. "Well, Emmett's mom usually goes to bed around eleven, so you guys will probably start playing sometime soon."

Uh… say what?

"Wait a minute, what do you mean '_you guys_'?" I blurted out, feeling an increasing sense of dread. "Don't you mean _we'll_ be playing soon?"

"No, only the single people are allowed to play. That's why they call it The _Single_ Game. I thought you knew that."

"No!" I squeaked. "I most certainly did not! You mean I have to be out there all alone?"

"Don't worry, you'll do fine," Alice soothed. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything before, it didn't even occur to me. I'm so used to everybody just knowing about the game already."

"Why doesn't everyone play?"

"Well, they all used to in the beginning. Everyone played, even the couples. But then a few years ago, the wrong girlfriend kissed the wrong guy too enthusiastically in front of the wrong jealous boyfriend, and a huge fight broke out. From that point on, Emmett insisted that if we were going to continue to play in his house, then absolutely no couples were allowed."

"Yeah, it also didn't help that it was the year we started dating," Rosalie laughed. "He had become one of those jealous boyfriends, himself. And in all honesty, I didn't want to let him kiss anybody else, either."

"That makes sense, I guess. I just thought I would have some support out there."

"You will," Alice said. "We'll be there watching. We never miss a game, actually." She smiled wickedly. "It makes for the best gossip on Monday."

"Alright, enough of this," Rose said after checking her makeup in the mirror. Walking over and opening the door, she looked back at us and smiled. "Let's get out there and give that boy something to think about."

Oh God.

I suddenly felt like _I_ was the one who was gonna puke.

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	7. Chapter 7

Here's another early update because I'm going to be out late finishing some holiday shopping.

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><p>.<p>

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Not even ten minutes later, it all played out the way Rosalie had described to me on our way back from the bathroom. Emmett's mother brought down the last tray of snacks for the night, spent a few minutes saying hello to everyone, then reminded Emmett that she trusted him to be responsible… while also reminding him that she could come back down at any moment, just in case he got any bright ideas.

As soon as she turned around to go back upstairs, Emmett rolled his eyes dramatically. We were all quiet while he listened to her footsteps climbing upstairs through the house, waiting until they had finally settled in his parents' bedroom. "She'll be asleep in five minutes, tops," he laughed. "I love it when my dad is out of town."

As we all watched him walk over to a cabinet in the corner, I realized that a hush had fallen over the room. He opened a door and slowly pulled out four small gift bags, one after the other: a pink one, a blue one, a green one and a bright red one. When he turned back around to face the room, an enormous smile broke out across his face.

"Single Game!" he announced loudly, and I swear to God everyone broke out into applause. "If you came here unattached and have any interest in changing that before you leave here tonight, I highly advise that you sit your ass down here by me." He lowered himself until he was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor. "Girls on my right, boys on my left. Make two rows."

There was a flurry of activity after that. Many of the people stopped whatever they were doing to go sit down on the floor, leaving the pool table and everything else open to those who either weren't eligible to play because they were dating someone… or they simply weren't interested in playing or watching. However, from the look of the swarm of onlookers forming around us, there didn't seem to be many who fit that description.

Besides Edward, that is.

He just sat there in front of that damn computer like he wasn't even listening.

Those of us who were playing divided up into two rows facing each other, with Emmett at the end to oversee the game, while everyone else sat around us in an outer circle to watch.

"Shit," Emmett cursed to himself. "I forgot extra paper." He looked around until he saw Edward playing away at his game. "Hey, Ed… _Ed_!"

"Huh?" Edward finally broke his attention away long enough to look over at Emmett.

"Toss me those post-its over there on the desk next to you. I need them for the game."

"Oh… uh…" his eyes briefly landed on mine as he registered that we were ready to start the game, only to move quickly back to Emmett. "Yeah, sure." He looked around the desk until he found the post-it notes, tossing them across the room easily.

Emmett caught them one-handed, peeling off blank sheets and handing them down the rows of players. He followed that up by pulling out a large stack of pens from one of the bags and passing them along behind the paper. "Everyone, write your name on your paper and fold it up tiny. Don't try folding it special or marking it up for someone to find it easier, because I'm watchin' for that shit. If there's someone specific that you're hoping to hook up with, just nut up now and ask them to go make out; otherwise, play fair."

I couldn't stop myself from glancing over at Edward, wishing that he would somehow know to look at me and get inspired by his friend's words, but of course that didn't happen. He was too busy with his head bent over the desk, writing something down.

Probably some fucking weapons code or some boring shit like that.

After we had all written our names down, Emmett handed Rose the blue bag and Alice the pink bag. They didn't need to be told what to do, both of them going to the end of the rows and working their way back up to the front, walking down the middle as they held out their bags to collect the names.

"I hope I get Mike!" Jessica Stanley stage whispered excitedly on my right.

Barf.

I sincerely hoped that she got Mike, too. The thought of kissing that smarmy douchebag turned my stomach.

When Alice finally passed in front of me with the pink bag, she smiled down at me and winked as I dropped in my name. "That's the spirit," she whispered.

I watched as they both made their way back towards Emmett, Rosalie taking longer than Alice since the boys all wanted to flirt with her as she passed them. It didn't take long before Emmett had seen enough.

"Just toss your fucking name in the bag, Crowley," he growled at Tyler, who had the decency to look embarrassed. "No discussion needed."

Rosalie took his name and moved a little faster down the line, but before she was finished I heard some sort of argument closer to Emmett. I tried to see what was going on, but Rose kept getting in my way as she moved.

"What the _hell_, Cullen? We already started!" a whiny voice that could only belong to Mike Newton rang out.

"Shut the fuck up, Newton, and move over."

When Rosalie finally shifted out of my way, I could see Edward squeezing his way into the first position next to Emmett. He was pushing and shoving Mike roughly until he finally got his way and forced the other boy to scoot down.

By the time he was done settling into place, you could have heard a pin drop.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Emmett asked him quietly, glancing around at all the people staring at his friend with their mouths hanging open in shock. "You never play."

"Shut up." It was the only response Edward gave him.

Everyone watched, holding their breath as Rosalie stopped in front of him. She looked at him for a moment as if trying to read something in his eyes. "You sure?" she asked, holding out the blue bag in front of him.

Edward's eyes shifted over to mine quickly before looking back up at Rosalie, a bright pink blush blooming under his glasses. Without saying a single word, he reached out and dropped his name in the bag.

Holy. Fuck.

Call me crazy, but I think Edward just made himself available.

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	8. Chapter 8

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The room was totally silent for a beat while everyone processed what had just happened. Then, like someone had flipped a switch, a loud wave of whispers starting floating around the room.

Apparently Edward Cullen finally playing this stupid game was a _really_ big deal.

"Alright everybody, quiet down," Emmett scolded. "Let's get this thing started." He gestured to Rose and Alice and they both stood at his sides, holding the bags. When he nodded his head, they each folded over the top of their bag and shook them wildly, mixing up everyone's names. When they were done, they handed him the bags and took a seat on either side of him, Rosalie settling with a proprietary hand on his thigh and Alice leaning back against Jasper for support.

"Okay, round one… The Ice Breaker." Emmett looked at each of us before he continued. "I know there are a few newbies here tonight, so this is how it works: when it's your turn, you're going to draw a paper from the green bag and read it out loud. Then you are going to draw a name from the other side's bag. You aren't allowed to pass or trade… and you have to be honest. Hold onto your papers until the round is over, and then you'll put them back in the bags. Nothing in the Ice Breaker round involves kissing or touching of any kind, so just relax and get to know everyone better." He looked over to Angela Weber, who was immediately to my left and the first in our row, which made me second. Holding out the green bag, he smiled broadly. "Ladies first!"

Angela smiled and reached inside, pulling out a folded piece of paper. After taking her time unfolding it, she cleared her throat and read aloud, "What is the best physical trait of this person?" She then reached into the blue bag and pulled out a name. "Tyler."

Her face blanched a bit as she considered her answer. I didn't know Angela well yet, but I knew that she seemed like a very sweet girl, if not a bit quiet. I _did_ know that she thought Tyler was a huge jerk, though, so her answer might prove quite interesting.

"Um… I guess his shoulders," she answered shyly.

"My _shoulders_?" he scoffed. "Not my face or my ass or something like that?"

"You have broad shoulders. They're nice." She returned with a shrug. It was apparently all she was going to say on the matter, refusing to boost his ego any more than necessary.

"Crowley, don't be a dick," Emmett barked. "I said to be honest. If that's her answer, then shut up about it." He smiled at Angela encouragingly. "Well done. Now pass the green bag over to Edward; it's the guys' turn next."

Edward looked queasy for a moment as he reached for the bag, but he pulled it together when it was time to read his paper, his eyes bugging out for a moment before he spoke. "Uh… have you ever had a sexual fantasy about this person, even once?" He swallowed thickly as he drew a name from the pink bag. "Jessica Stanley."

"_Hell_ yeah!" half of the guys yelled, slapping high fives like a bunch of idiots.

"Guys, really!" Jessica admonished, but I could hear the gloat in her voice without even looking at her. "Grow up, already."

"No," Edward's quiet voice answered.

"_What_?" Jessica gasped.

Uh-oh. It sounded like the sweet little cheerleader just couldn't fathom the idea of any red-blooded American male _not_ jerking off to her. At least _once_.

"Dude, I call bullshit on that!" Mike whined.

"No, I'm sorry," Edward shook his head, taking a cue from Angela and simply shrugging it off. He looked up and held my gaze. "It's your turn," he said softly. Without looking away, he held out the green bag to me, and when I went to take it from him I felt his fingertips graze over the back of my knuckles.

He might as well have slid his hand between my legs, it felt so intimate.

I felt his feather-light touch all the way down to my toes and back up again, and the only thing I could do after that was wonder what the hell it would be like if I let him _really_ touch me.

Remembering that it was still my turn, I forced myself to focus on drawing a question. "What is the nicest thing this person has ever done for you?" Well, seeing as I only had two months' worth of memories to pull from, I hoped it was at least someone I knew. "Eric Yorkie." Whew, okay. At least he was a nice guy. "Let's see… on my first day of school here, Eric showed me around the school and introduced me to everyone. He was really nice and he made me feel comfortable right away, so I've always been thankful for that."

Eric blushed at my praise and a few of his buddies patted him on the head in jest.

The first round continued on like that, with everyone eventually getting their turn, and everyone else eventually having their name drawn. It was super classy when brainiac Tyler pulled my name and listed a toss-up between my '_juicy ass_' and my '_smokin' hot rack_' as the first things he noticed about me.

Ewww.

Then the very ladylike Lauren Mallory claimed that the best thing about Edward was how he looked in his swim trunks at Emmett's pool party last summer.

Skanky bitch.

Not only was that a completely shallow answer, but I hated the fact that she knew what he looked like in swim trunks and I didn't. I couldn't believe how jealous and possessive I already felt where Edward was concerned, and I had only just realized that I had feelings for him earlier that day. I didn't know how to take that, because I had never been ruled by my emotions before. It was like my brain had taken so long to see the truth that my body was trying to play catch up.

"Okay, that brings us to the end of round one," Emmett called out, interrupting my musings. "Which means that it's time for round two!"

Everybody starting whooping and cheering, and then I remembered…

The Lip Lock round.

Crap!

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><p>Uh oh! Time to pucker up, people!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Here's an early update for you! Now let's see what happens in round 2!

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><p>.<p>

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"Alright, boys and girls… we all know what time it is!" Emmett announced. "I want you to go ahead and refold your papers and toss them back in the correct bags when Alice and Rose come around."

Oh God. I had to draw another name, and this time there would be kissing involved.

I was excited that Edward was a possibility, but the likelihood of pulling his name or him pulling mine was slim to none. Just the thought of me kissing anyone else was repulsive, but the thought of watching _him_ kiss anyone else made me feel purely homicidal.

What the hell was I going to do?

When it came time for me to drop Eric's name back in, I shot Alice a panicked look as she held the blue bag out in front of me. With a knowing smile, she leaned over and grabbed my shaking hand as I was pulling it away.

"Silly Bella," she giggled. "You need to learn how to calm down." As she pulled her fingers away from mine, I felt something crumpled up in my hand. She winked at me again before moving on to Angela and I instinctively kept the wadded up piece of paper hidden in my palm.

I didn't need to look at it to know that it said Edward's name.

I glanced over just in time to see Rosalie doing something very similar with him, grabbing his hand and leaning over to whisper in his ear.

It seemed that I had been worried for nothing; my two amazing friends had recognized the need to stack the deck in our favor once Edward had raised the stakes by joining in.

Well played, ladies.

After everyone's names had been collected and shaken up again, Emmett announced that we were going to go in a different order this time; the ladies would all go first rather than switching off with the boys. When one of the jocks whined about it and asked him why, he simply smiled and said that it was hilarious making the guys wait.

"This is played the same way the other round was," Emmett explained, "but this time there _is_ kissing involved, and also some touching." When a bunch of the guys started making suggestive noises, he quickly shushed them and rolled his eyes. "Nothing nasty, guys; it's not an orgy, for God's sake. Now, by agreeing to play this round, you have to do whatever the note says, with whoever's name you draw. As I said, it's nothing too heavy, but there are a few choices in there that are more… open to interpretation. For those, you only have to go as far as you are willing, no matter _what_ your partner says." He shot a death glare to the guys. "Any of you get out of line, and you'll meet the business end of my right hook. Is that understood, gentlemen?"

After a few somber nods of acknowledgment, Emmett passed the red bag and the blue bag to Angela so that she could begin. While I watched her nervously draw from the red bag, I discreetly tucked the paper I was hiding in between my fingers so no one would see it when it was my turn.

"Kiss this person once on each cheek, then once on the lips," Angela croaked out timidly. After that, she pulled a name from the blue bag. "Ben Cheney." Her face turned beet red as she looked over at her target, and it was cute to see that his cheeks were a matching color.

Ben was seated almost diagonally from her towards the opposite end of the boys' line, so she slowly crawled over to him on her hands and knees. When they were finally face to face, she leaned in carefully and kissed first his right cheek, then his left. Pulling back to smile at him briefly, she leaned in again and pressed her lips to his. It was all over quickly and before I knew it she was seated next to me again, but the entire exchange had actually been rather… sweet.

When Angela slid the two bags over in front of me, it slowly dawned on me that it was actually my turn. I took a deep breath and reached into the red bag with my other hand, not wanting to drop the note I already held. Unfolding it carefully, I cleared my throat before reading, "Kiss this person three times on the lips, then bite them once on the neck."

Wow. That was specific.

And hot as hell.

As I grabbed the blue bag, I realized that I was about to do something that I had never done before in my entire life and had always sworn that I would never do.

I was about to cheat.

Part of me felt guilty about it, but when I thought of doing those things with Edward, the guilt got shoved out of the way quickly by my growing curiosity. I needed to get closer to Edward as soon as possible, and making out with other guys in front of him wasn't going to accomplish that. I needed to kiss _him_… I needed to take whatever this spark was between us and see what happened.

From the way I felt when he touched me earlier, I had a feeling we would go up in flames.

Reaching into the blue bag with my right hand, I kept my stolen name tucked tightly between my fingers. Making a show of stirring the papers around, I flipped the one I already held out into my palm and pulled my hand back out of the bag. Although I knew what I would find, I still couldn't help the rush of satisfaction I felt at seeing the name written in elegant script.

"Edward Cullen."

Even his name tasted sweet on my tongue. I couldn't wait to discover how his lips tasted.

I heard a few murmurs around me, people whispering about finally seeing him kiss someone, but they didn't even register in my mind at that moment. I only had eyes for Edward.

I crawled across the divide, sitting on my knees in front of him. Looking past his glasses into his beautiful jade eyes, I noticed something that I wasn't expecting to see.

Fear.

"Is this okay?" I whispered. I didn't want to force him to do something he wasn't ready for, rules of the game be damned.

He gulped loudly before nodding sharply.

"You sure?"

Translation: Please don't puke on me.

"Yeah," he choked out.

Closing my eyes, I covered his lips with my own, using only the slightest pressure. He didn't kiss me back at first, but I didn't take offense because I knew he was extremely nervous. His lips were soft and strong, and I couldn't wait to feel more. Pulling back to show that the first kiss was over, I smiled at him so that he could see I didn't hate it.

His cheeks were tinted pink, but I was happy to see that some of the fear had left his eyes.

I leaned in again for the second kiss, using a little more pressure than before. I felt him pursing his lips under mine, gently returning the kiss. It was sweet, soft and gentle… and the tingles that it was sending through my body were nothing short of amazing.

It was so difficult to keep the kisses chaste once he finally started responding. All of my instincts were yelling at me to shove my tongue in his mouth, but I didn't want to press my luck with so many people watching.

By the third kiss, I could tell that he was becoming a little more comfortable with me. He kissed me back right from the beginning, and when I pulled away, he leaned forward as if he didn't want it to end.

The feeling was _definitely_ mutual.

We smiled at each other, proud of a job well done, when I heard Rosalie's voice next to me, breaking through my little happiness bubble. "Don't forget the bite, Bella."

"Huh?" I shot her a confused look.

"You're supposed to bite him on the neck, too."

"Oh." I had been so absorbed with the feeling of Edward's lips that I had forgotten the last part of the instructions.

I leaned into his neck slowly, savoring his scent as I got closer.

Seriously, how had I never noticed how fucking good he smelled before now?

Bringing my lips to his neck, I kissed him quickly before opening my mouth and pressing my teeth into his flesh gently. I felt him jolt under me, causing me to bite a little harder. His hands clamped around my arms, holding me to him, and I swear I heard him give off another one of those fucking sexy whimpers.

Well, well, well. It seems that Edward _likes_ being bitten.

As I pulled away, something wicked inside of me forced me to flick my tongue against his abused flesh. I needed him to know that I enjoyed doing that… that I was excited by it, too. I felt his grip on me tighten even more, and when I pulled far enough away I could see that he was slightly flushed, and his eyes were closed in what looked like ecstasy.

Okay, that face made my whole night.

Even if he never kissed me again, I could take the memory of that face and lock it away in my spank bank to use for years to come.

As I sat back in a daze and passed the bags to my right, the rest of the game seemed to disappear around me. All I could do was smile stupidly at Edward, and after his cheeks flamed a brilliant red, I saw the corners of his mouth turning up as well.

He had definitely liked it.

And I wanted more.

.

.

* * *

><p>Oh, ye readers of little faith! I can't believe so many of you thought I was going to let them kiss other people! Not in my world!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

.

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I waited patiently through all of the disgusting displays by the cheerleaders until it was the boys' turn.

Apparently 'cute' ended with me and Angela. From that point on, every girl had made it her goal to slip tongue in there somewhere, and it was almost as if they each had a competition going to out-gross the last one. There was so much saliva and slurping noises that I thought I might gag.

Yuck.

When it was finally time for Edward's turn, I felt my heart rate speed up. I was excited to think that we might get to kiss again, but in all honesty, I just wanted more time with him. I also wanted this stupid game over with so we could go somewhere and talk in private.

I watched as he read the slip of paper he'd pulled out of the red bag, surprised when his eyes shot wide open.

"What is it?" Newton asked, trying to read it.

"Seven Minutes in Heaven," Edward whispered.

"Dude, no fair!" Mike whined. "That's the best one!" A loud round of applause and catcalls rang out, not from just the jocks but from the onlookers, too.

"Shut up, Newton," Edward grumbled. He reached into the pink bag next, barely hiding the fact that he was already holding a paper in his hand. When he opened it up, he looked over at me and held my gaze. "Bella Swan."

I don't know if anyone else in the room noticed that his voice dropped lower when he said my name, but that combined with the heated look he was giving me was enough to make me combust.

"Very nice!" Emmett clapped. "Okay, this is one of those choices that I said was open to interpretation. The only thing you two have to do is spend at least seven minutes in that storage closet over there. What you choose to do while you're in there is entirely up to you." He laughed to himself and smirked. "Although, I'd personally _hate_ to waste all that time." Everyone broke out in applause, eager to see what we would do.

Emmett stood up and gestured for us to follow, leading us over to the closet with one hand on each of our shoulders. "Don't worry, guys," he whispered. "The closet locks from the inside, so we can't open it to spy on you."

I looked over at Edward and couldn't help but feel worried; he looked like he was being led to his execution.

"Also," Emmett continued, "you need a _minimum_ of seven minutes. Far be it from me to ruin anybody's good time, so there is no maximum. If you feel like staying in there for the rest of the party, that's just fine by me." He looked down at me and winked, and I laughed nervously.

Did he think I was actually going to screw Edward in the closet?

I mean, a little petting might be nice, but come on.

When we reached the closet door he leaned in and pulled the chain to turn on the bare light bulb that lit the small space. As he backed up and opened the door wide for us, we could see shelves full of board games squeezed next to old Christmas decorations.

"Alright, you two," he laughed. "Get on in there."

Edward swallowed thickly and held out his hand, motioning for me to go first. I walked into the small area, noticing that it was going to be pretty tight quarters for two people in there. As soon as Edward joined me, Emmett began closing us in.

"Oh, one last thing," he said, opening the door back up to smile at us.

"What?" I asked.

He quickly pulled the light switch again, cloaking us in darkness. "No lights allowed." With that, he reached up and unscrewed the light bulb. "I'll just hold on to that." Then he was gone, the door swiftly shut in our faces.

That little bastard.

Somehow the darkness made the space between us feel even smaller, as if we were right on top of each other. Also, the only way to know for certain where we were was to reach out and… touch.

Hmm… maybe this _wasn't_ so bad.

Maybe Edward would be able to relax like this, without me being able to see him.

The first thing I did once I got over my shock was to grab the door handle and push in the lock. I didn't want to forget that and have some jackass think it was hilarious to open it up and take a picture of us doing whatever the hell we might end up doing.

Yeah, that would look really great all over facebook.

When I stopped worrying so much, I realized that Edward was beginning to breathe heavily next to me. I could feel the warm gusts of air flowing across my cheek.

"You're not claustrophobic, are you?" I asked quietly. I heard a shuffling movement, then realized that he had shaken his head at me. "Edward," I giggled, "it's pitch black in here. I can't see your head move. You're going to need to actually talk to me."

"Sorry," he said after a moment of silence. "No, I'm not claustrophobic."

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I'm just… really nervous." I heard him swallow thickly again.

Okay, this was progress. We weren't making out in a big sweaty heap like I had been hoping for, but at least he was talking.

"Why are you so nervous?"

"I didn't expect to pull _Seven Minutes in Heaven _out of that bag."

"You didn't want it?" I asked, grateful for the darkness that hid my childish pout. "It sounded like most of the guys out there would have killed for it."

"It's freaking me out, to be honest." His breath was still coming in short gusts of air, so I knew I had to get him to relax fast.

"Can you tell me why?"

I heard a bit more rustling and I could tell from the sounds that he was shoving his hands in his hair. "Well… the other directions that you were all pulling were so exact. Kiss here, touch there… you know? There wasn't any guesswork. I was psyching myself up for something like that, I guess."

"And now?" I pushed.

He sighed loudly, the warmth of it heating my ear. "Now… I don't have any fucking clue what to do. It's too much pressure."

"Hey," I said quietly, reaching out to touch his shoulder, hoping that the contact would soothe him. "I don't want you to feel pressured. We don't have to do anything at all if you don't want, okay?"

"No, it's _not_ okay!" he said sharply. I was stunned at his tone, but he followed it up with an explanation. "I'm sorry… It's just that… I don't _want_ to do nothing. I just… don't know where to start."

I could hear the humiliation in his voice, and that's when it finally dawned on me.

Holy shit.

"Edward… was that your very first kiss? The one we shared tonight?"

"I'm a total fucking loser, aren't I?" I could hear the defeat in his voice, which only bolstered my own need to make him relax.

"No, you're not a loser," I scolded. "I'm _honored_ that you shared that with me. I just wish that you had talked to me earlier. Maybe we could have done that without quite so many spectators for your first time."

"I'm sorry… it's just so fucking hard for me to get the words out when you're around." His voice dropped down to a nearly inaudible whisper. "I just like you so damn much."

"This morning I truly thought that you couldn't stand me. It was the only reason I could think of why you would avoid talking to me for so long."

"No! I've always… oh, fuck it!" I could hear his voice rising with his confidence. "I've liked you from the moment I first saw you. I just didn't know how to make you notice me when I couldn't even bring myself to talk to you."

"I don't think I was ready to pay attention before now," I said quietly. "I was closed off to the idea of dating anybody again. But I can tell you this: once I decided that I was ready, you were the only one who came to mind."

"Really?" I could hear the doubt in his voice, but there was hope there, too.

"Yes, really."

We grew quiet for a moment until I realized that we were wasting valuable closet time. He had already admitted that he wanted to kiss me some more, only that he didn't know what to do.

"Edward? Would it make you feel more comfortable if _I_ started things?"

"You would do that?" He sounded so astonished, it almost made me laugh.

"Of course." More like _fuck yes_!

Riley had always been the one to lead, trying to school me in the magical art of unfulfilling, craptastic sex. Maybe if I showed Edward what I liked from the very beginning, he would eventually learn how to be… _good_.

Now there was a thought.

How did Alice word it on the list? Oh yeah… _eager virgin, ready for training_.

Well now… let's see just how _eager_ Edward is, shall we?

.

.

* * *

><p>AN: I can just hear all of your groans now: No! Don't stop it there! ;-)

Well... I _might_ be persuaded to post one more chapter later tonight, but I'm still on the fence about it. I'm trying to dole them out slowly as I stock up more chapters, that way I can hopefully post at least one every day whether i have a chance to write every day or not.


	11. Chapter 11

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Alright; I had made the decision that Edward was definitely something special, and the way my body was beginning to warm up to him without even touching him was telling me that we might be in store for some interesting experiences together. However, we were still stuck in a closet with tons of people outside, so we couldn't get too crazy yet.

Maybe just a _little_ crazy.

I didn't want to overwhelm Edward by throwing too many things at him at once, so I decided to start slowly.

"Would it be okay if we hugged?" It sounded silly asking him that, but I had no idea what he might be comfortable with yet.

"You want a hug?" he laughed. "Why wouldn't that be okay?"

"Well, I don't know. I guess we need to start _somewhere_, and I want to get used to the feel of you against me."

"Oh." His tone quickly became serious. Perhaps it was the mention of our bodies touching.

"Is that alright?" I double-checked.

"Yeah," he said, his voice much quieter than before.

What followed next was the most seductive hug I had ever given anyone.

I leaned forward, holding my hands out in front of me until I came into contact with his chest. I felt his muscles jerk underneath my fingers, and it made me feel powerful. I flattened my hands against his pecs, moving them lower until they rested on his stomach. His breath hitched in my ear as I slid them around his sides, pulling him against me tightly as I let my hands wander up and down his back.

He held himself stiffly against me at first, before finally letting go and wrapping his arms around me, almost crushing me.

It felt amazing.

His large, warm hands settled on my lower back, until he began to mimic my stroking movements up and down my spine.

Resting my head on his shoulder, I turned into his neck before whispering, "There… now, doesn't that feel nice?"

"Yes." His voice sounded strained, which only made me feel even more powerful. I pressed my breasts against him as firmly as I could manage, giving him the benefit of feeling them without the awkwardness of asking to touch them. That would all come in due time, but I wanted his mind on how good the two of us felt together.

I leaned even further into his neck, making sure that he could feel my breath and lips moving against his skin the next time I spoke. "Edward… may I kiss you again?"

I felt the vibrations of his moan underneath my lips. "Yes," he choked out. "_Please_!"

I slid my lips across the surface of his skin, dragging them slowly along the firm edge of his jaw until I found his mouth in the dark. My vision had started to adjust enough so that I could see him pretty well, but that didn't stop me from seeking out his lips that way.

I was granted another delicious whimper as I settled my mouth over his, and the sound of it set my body on fire. I reached up and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him more firmly into the kiss. I could feel his lips moving back against mine, trying to follow my lead but still very tentative.

"Don't be afraid to kiss me back," I spoke against his soft flesh. "I _want_ you to."

"I'm sorry," he groaned between small kisses. "I'm just… so fucking turned on right now… I can't think straight!"

"Good!" I gasped around his mouth. "You think too much. Just go with it!" I flicked the tip of my tongue over his lips and he shuddered against me, growling low in his chest before opening up to me. He slowly stroked his tongue across mine, feeling the slick textures rubbing against each other for the first time.

By the loud moan he sent into my mouth, followed by the way he urgently shoved me back into the shelves… I'm going to guess that he liked it.

His large body was pressed into mine, unconsciously rubbing up against me as he devoured my lips and tongue. I fucking loved every minute of it, pulling him into me hungrily. Edward's hands were shoved into my hair, anchoring my head in place so that he could continue to kiss me deeply and passionately.

His kisses were sloppy and eager, but in the moment, they were fucking perfect.

I could feel his erection digging against my belly as he moved, and the greedy whore deep down inside me wanted nothing more than to feel him rubbing where I was starting to throb. Before I knew what I was doing, I had lifted one of my legs up around his hip and was trying to raise the other when he reached down and grabbed the backs of my thighs, lifting me up enough so that I could wrap my legs around his waist.

_There_ it was.

Thick and solid, pulsing between my legs… just where I fucking needed it.

"Oh fuck… _yes_!" I moaned, pulling him back to my lips for another voracious kiss. I shifted myself against him, seeking out that delicious friction, and it caused him to buck his hips wildly into me.

"Oh… _God_!" he panted loudly, doing it again.

I must have gone into slut autopilot or something after that, because I started grinding against him as hard as I could, moaning and groaning at how good he felt.

"Oh… oh God… oh fuck!… _Bella_!" Edward cried out against my throat, his entire body shaking and shuddering around me.

Alright, I don't care if he just blew his load after about thirty seconds of dry humping. That was one of the sexiest make-out sessions I had ever had.

As he gently set me back down on the floor, I could practically feel the heat of his blush in the dark. I knew that he was going to start feeling extremely awkward any minute, so I did what I could to head him off at the pass.

"I'm so sorry, Edward," I apologized.

"Wha—? Sorry? _You're_ sorry? What for? _I'm_ the one who should be saying that!" I hoped that by getting him to talk, we might be able to bypass any insecurity or nervousness he might start feeling about what had happened.

"I'm sorry because I let that get way out of hand, way too fast."

He was quiet for a moment before I heard a small whisper in my ear. "I was bad at this, wasn't I?"

"No, not at all, that's what I'm trying to explain. I hadn't planned to let us go that far tonight. I figured we might have a few steamy kisses, then build up to more things slowly when there wasn't a room full of people right outside. But after just a few kisses with you, I didn't care about anything else but _more_. Does that make sense?"

"I guess so."

"Then take it as a compliment. You felt so wonderful and tasted so good… I didn't want to stop."

"Really?" He sounded amazed that he actually did a good job.

"Yeah… in fact… um… "

"What?"

"Well…" I started to get embarrassed at what I wanted to tell him next, but forced my way through it. My days of being the inexperienced one were over. If I wanted him to learn things the right way, we needed to be honest and open with each other. "I think that's the closest I've ever been to having an orgasm without extra… effort… on my part. Know what I mean?"

"Oh _God_," he groaned low in my ear, leaning over and dropping his forehead on my shoulder. "Are you serious?" he whispered into my neck.

"Yeah… actually, you aren't the only one who needs to change their underwear right now," I giggled.

"Oh no, did I get something on you?" He sounded absolutely mortified.

"_No_… it's just that…"

I took a deep breath. How did I put this without being blunt? Riley was always grossed out whenever I mentioned being wet; he liked how it felt but he was too embarrassed to talk about normal physical reactions openly.

Fuck it. If Edward was going to learn this stuff, then he was going to learn how to be a fucking _man_ about it.

I turned my head so that my lips were level with his ear and whispered seductively, "It's just that you made me so fucking _wet_… my body is on fire for you." As I pulled back, I nipped his earlobe with my teeth, trying to convey the fact that what I was telling him was something erotic, not gross.

"_Fuck_," he gritted through his teeth, and I swear he swayed on his feet a bit. "How do you make me want you so badly?" he moaned. "Sometimes it scares me… how badly I want you. I've never felt like this about anyone before."

"I can safely say now that it's not one-sided," I said, slightly out of breath after his confession.

Edward was quiet for a moment before he reached up and held my face in his hands. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine briefly, before running the tip of his nose over my cheek. I heard him take a deep breath, and then his beautiful lips were on mine again, this time in a kiss completely led by him. It was tender and loving, almost as if he was thanking me for admitting my feelings for him.

He pulled back slightly to speak, kissing me continuously between his whispers. "Do you… need me to… _do_ something for you? I can… help you finish."

"I don't think we should tonight."

"Right… sorry."

"No, don't be embarrassed. It actually means a lot to me that you offered; it tells me that you're not only thinking of yourself. I just think we should wait because we've already done more than I intended, and then it will leave us a few things to explore together later."

"So this isn't my only chance to be with you?"

"Of course not!" I laughed, until a new thought made me sober quickly. "Unless this was all you wanted?"

"Me? God no!" he said, kissing me quickly. "I've been crazy about you for months. There's no way in hell I would only want a few minutes in a dark closet with you. I'm sorry; I've been so backwards about this whole thing." He grabbed my face again so that he could find my eyes in the dark. Taking a deep breath, he finally blurted out, "Bella… will you please go out to dinner with me tomorrow night? I would really like to get to know you better."

I ask you… who could say no to that?

"I'd love to."

The next thing we knew, our quiet little world exploded with a few loud knocks on the door.

"You guys alive in there?" Emmett's voice came muffled through the wood.

Edward sighed deeply. "Christ, what now?" he muttered to himself before turning to face the door. "Yeah, why?" he called out.

"I just wanted to let you know that the party's breaking up. Alice needs to get going, so Bella better get a move on if she plans on staying the night with her."

We both started frantically adjusting our clothes and attempting to flatten down the messes that our hair had become. I noticed that Edward was tugging his shirt down in front of him before he reached for the door handle to unlock it.

"Ready?" he whispered.

"As I'll ever be."

We walked out into the basement, both of us shielding our eyes to the brighter lighting. When we were able to look, we realized that the only people left in the room were our closest friends.

"There they are!" Rosalie called out when she saw us, causing them all to break out in applause. Jasper put his fingers between his lips and whistled while Emmett made a bunch of whooping noises.

"Alright, you guys," I said when they quieted down, blushing furiously from the attention.

"_So_?" Alice asked.

"So, what?" I returned. I hoped she didn't seriously think I was going to give her a play by play in front of everyone.

"Are you guys fucking _dating_ yet, or what?" Emmett barked out.

I felt my face becoming even hotter. "Well… we are going out tomorrow night," I said quietly, staring down at the floor.

"_Finally_!" They all yelled at the same time.

"Dude, I'm telling you, that fucking closet works every time," Emmett laughed. "Remember Rose?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"You guys set this all up?" I gasped. "Even the closet?"

"_Duh_!" Emmett snorted. "We were tired of being the only ones who knew that you two needed to get together."

Alright… so maybe I was a little slow at realizing Edward's potential.

And he was too damn shy for his own good.

But as I looked over to find him smiling down at me with a matching blush on his cheeks, one thought kept repeating in my mind.

Now that I had him, I wasn't ever going to let him get away.

.

.

* * *

><p>AN: When I was first invaded by this little plot bunny, this was as far as it went. I was going to end the oneshot here. But then I thought, wait a minute... how can I stop _there_? These kids deserve some lemony goodness! So if you are enjoying the story so far, stick with me. They're just going to keep going farther and farther until I think they've had enough. ;-)


	12. Chapter 12

This one's super short, but sweet. Don't worry, there will be more tomorrow.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

After that, we said our goodbyes for the night. Edward kissed me quickly on the cheek and promised to pick me up at six o'clock on Saturday. He said that he wanted to take me to a restaurant in Port Angeles, and then maybe to a movie, so he wanted to give us enough time to get there.

I told him that I couldn't wait and then left with Alice and Rosalie for our sleepover. As soon as we got in the car, the inquisition began.

"I _know_ you don't think you aren't going to spill," Rosalie said, snapping her seat belt shut.

"Yeah, we totally handed him to you on a platter, Bella," Alice added, backing the car out of the drive. "You at least owe us _something_!"

I had no intention of sharing every private detail with them, but I figured that a little girl talk wouldn't hurt anything. "Well, what do you want to know?"

That unleashed a firing squad of questions.

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Was it romantic or dirty?"

"Did you let him touch your boobs?"

"Did you see it?"

"Did you touch it?"

"How big is he?"

"Okay, okay!" I yelled, interrupting them before they got even more inventive. "That's enough. This is what I will tell you: His kisses were wonderful. I could tell that he was new at it, but he makes up for his inexperience with his enthusiasm. I thought it was all sort of… sweet and sexy. No, he didn't touch my boobs yet; no, I didn't see it _or_ touch it yet… but those are all things I plan on exploring with him when the time is right."

"So, you just talked and kissed?" Alice asked. "That _whole_ time?"

"Well… we might have… dry humped a little," I mumbled.

"And?" Rosalie goaded.

"Okay, it was the sexiest fucking make out session I've ever had in my entire life!" I blurted out, unable to hold in my excitement any longer.

"You two are gonna be great together," Alice said. "I just know it."

"Why didn't you guys tell me before now that Edward liked me?"

"Well, we didn't connect all the pieces until recently," Rose explained, "but we always thought that the two of you would be cute together. It just made sense, and it completed our little group of friends perfectly."

"Yeah," Alice agreed. "We just didn't want to push you into it. I knew you were still upset about your break up, and not really ready to think about other guys yet. I was _thrilled_ when you asked me about dating somebody new! I always thought Edward was a good match, but I didn't realize how bad he had it for you."

"She's not always as observant as I am," Rosalie teased. "Sometimes she gets lost in Jasper land."

"Oh, shut up!" Alice stuck her tongue out at her and we all broke into laughter.

As we all settled in for bed that night, I thought to myself that I had never had such caring, decent friends in my whole life.

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I heard my cell phone buzzing near my head where I had placed it on the floor next to my sleeping bag. Opening it up, I saw a text message from Edward.

_Hope you don't mind, got your # from Em. Just wanted to say that I'm crazy about you. Can't wait to see you again. ~ E_

"Oh my God, that's so fucking cute!" I cried out, waking the other girls.

"What is it?" Alice groaned.

"He texted me!"

That had them both sitting up, suddenly wide awake. I leaned over and showed them both what it said, and they had the same reaction I did.

"Told you that boy's a fucking keeper," Rosalie mumbled as she rolled back over, trying to get back to sleep.

That he was.

I dashed off a quick reply to him before I lost my nerve.

_Thank you for a wonderful night. Can't wait to see you, either. _

I hit send, then realized that I had avoided the sweetest part of his text. Before I chickened out, I sent another one.

_I'm pretty crazy about you, too. *kiss* _

I laid there smiling, hoping that he didn't mind the second text, when suddenly my phone buzzed again.

_Even your text kisses are sweet. Goodnight, beautiful. Thank you for making me so happy. _

I couldn't resist sending another one, regardless of the late hour. He apparently was too excited to sleep, just like I was, so I didn't think he'd mind.

_That gets you two kisses. *kiss, kiss* Goodnight to you, too. _

I turned my phone off to fight the temptation of sending any more. As I stared up at the ceiling, I wondered if I had ever felt so giddy about a boy in the past.

No, I could honestly say that I never had; not even with Riley.

Edward Cullen was something special.

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	13. Chapter 13

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When I got home late the next morning, I figured it was best to just rip the Band-Aid off quickly.

"Dad, I won't be home to cook dinner tonight," I called out as I walked through the living room, depositing my overnight bag on the floor next me as I sat down. "I have a date."

"That's fine," he said distantly, absorbed in watching SportsCenter on the flat screen. "I can grab something at the diner before my shift." I watched his face while I waited for him to realize what I'd just said. I could spot the exact moment; his eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his head whipped around at me so fast I thought he might hurt himself. "A _date_? With who? Since when? Last I heard, you didn't like any of the boys in town."

My father hadn't ever forbidden me to date, but he'd been very relieved after the only awkward conversation we'd ever had on the subject, in which I told him that I had better things to do with my time than date immature idiots. He had wholeheartedly agreed with me, and from that point on he had considered the subject closed.

"With Edward Cullen and since right now," I replied after his mustache had stopped twitching. "I _hadn't_ been interested in any boys until now, but I've been getting to know him a bit and he seems really sweet." Plus he makes the sexiest whimper when I suck on his tongue that drives me crazy, but I didn't think my dad needed to know that.

"Wait a minute… _Cullen_?" He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Carlisle's boy?"

"Uh… sure? I really don't know, I've never heard his parents' names." I tried to remember any bit of info I might have picked up about him around school. "I think I heard that his dad's a doctor."

My dad nodded. "Yeah, that's Carlisle." He reached up and scratched at the stubble on his chin as he mulled over what I'd told him. "He's a good man… real caring doctor. Don't remember his boy ever causing any trouble around here." He looked at me quickly. "This kid isn't some little entitled, rich brat is he?"

"Not that I can tell," I answered honestly. "I really hadn't even thought about him having money before. He doesn't act like a snobby rich kid. Believe me; I'd have absolutely _zero_ interest in him if he did."

"Good." He thought to himself for a minute before speaking again. "I can't imagine Carlisle raising a boy like that, anyway." I watched as he rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to soothe the tension headache that I'm sure was forming at that very moment. Letting out a loud sigh, he finally turned to face me. "I thought you were gonna make this year easy on me, kid."

"Come on, Dad. What kind of teenage daughter would I be if I didn't make you stress out over boys at least _once_ while I'm here?" He merely grumbled in reply, so I laughed and kissed him on the top of the head as I stood up.

"Where's this kid taking you, anyway?" he asked as I was heading for the stairs.

"Some restaurant in Port Angeles, I guess. Maybe a movie after; it depends what's playing."

"Alright, well… no later than one, you got it?"

"Yes, daddy," I said sarcastically, shooting him an angelic smile and batting my lashes.

"Get out of here, smartass," he laughed. "You're making me miss the highlights."

"Oh, Heaven forbid!"

I threw my bag over my shoulder and ran up the stairs to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. Flopping face down on my bed, I marveled at my good luck.

For one thing… that whole discussion had gone much easier than I had expected.

For the second… I was only going to ask for midnight.

Sucker.

I grabbed my cell phone and hit the speed dial, scooting back to sit against the headboard while it rang.

"Did you forget something?" Alice giggled, already sounding too chipper for that time of day. "You just left here less than an hour ago."

"Yeah, I forgot to avoid you in the mornings," I grumbled.

"Bella, it's almost eleven! It's not my fault you were up texting all night."

"I was not! It was just a couple times."

"Whatever you say," she laughed. I heard a masculine voice muttering in the background for a moment before Alice sighed loudly. "No, Jasper, I _don't_ want to watch _The Wall_ again." There was more mumbling from him before she continued. "I don't _care_ if it's a classic; it's too early in the morning for that shit."

"But Alice, it's almost eleven!" I teased.

"Oh shut up," she laughed. I heard her voice get muffled for a moment, as if she were covering up the phone. "No, not you, Jasper. Just… let me finish my phone call, okay? Then I'll bake us some cookies… yeah, the chocolate ones… no, I don't have any ice cream… yes, that's good, go watch the fish tank."

When she came back I couldn't stop laughing. "Jesus Christ, is he already baked?"

"Of course," she sighed. "He knew my parents were going out of town today, so he started early. He'd be annoying if he weren't so cute about it."

She was totally right, too. I normally couldn't stand hanging around stoners for very long, but Jasper just had this way about him. He could usually mellow just about anyone out within a few seconds of talking to him, which made him perfect for Alice. She was normally so high-strung, like a little hummingbird flitting around in your face.

They balanced each other out.

"So, what did you need?" she asked, reminding me why I had called.

"Okay, I've been cleared to be out until one," I explained.

"Ooh, good time."

"I know! And I didn't even ask; he offered!"

"Without trying to lowball you first? Amateur," she said to herself.

"Hey, his inexperience is my gain," I laughed. "But now I need to know what I should wear tonight. I mean, a skirt has its advantages, but I don't want to send the wrong signal."

"Yeah; wearing a skirt on a first date walks a fine line between 'I'm totally classy' and 'I'd totally let you finger me during the movie'."

"Exactly!" That right there was why I loved Alice. She just got me.

"That's not to say that it's a bad signal to send eventually, but it might be a bit much for poor Edward on a first date."

"Right, and I'd like a chance to actually get to know him a little bit without everyone else around. I don't want him staring at my legs all night and zoning out everything I say. So what says 'I'm fun and worth knowing… but a little naughty, too'?"

"That's easy," she replied, like I'd asked her what two plus two was. "You should wear those jeans that make your ass look great and maybe a nice top. Nothing too tight or low cut. That blue V-neck sweater you have would look good… sort of studiously sexy. Just the right peek of cleavage. Men are visual creatures, so you want to give him something pretty to look at with a hint of sex appeal, but nothing too overt in the getting to know you stage."

"Where do you get this stuff?" I laughed. "You're like a fashion guru."

"_Cosmo_," she said simply. "Oh, and be sure to wear a necklace."

"A necklace? Why?"

"Because, that way if you catch him staring at your boobs, it gives him an easy out to say that he really likes your necklace. Believe me, he needs all the extra help feeling comfortable he can get, and if he thinks you know he's ogling you, he'll get really embarrassed."

"God dammit, Gump! You're a God-damned genius!" I yelled. We both broke into laughter at my over-used movie quote. Every time Alice imparted some valuable wisdom, which she was known to do rather frequently, I would start laughing and yell that at her.

"Hey, it's what I do," she chuckled. "Now I better let you go before Jasper starts feeding my fish pizza."

"Yeah, go ahead. You don't want to leave Chong unsupervised."

"No kidding," she grumbled. "Anyway, call me tomorrow for a play by play."

"Alright. Thanks, Alice."

"Sure. Happy to help." Right before she hung up the phone, I heard her muffled voice yell out, "Jasper, _no_! Put Nemo back!"

After hanging up, I went to my closet and pulled out the blue sweater that she had mentioned. Holding it up in front of me, I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

"Alright, Edward Cullen. I'm getting borderline sexy for your cute ass. I hope we can actually get some talking done tonight."

Then a thought hit me: What happened when we were _done_ talking?

I ran my fingertips over my lips, feeling tingles as I remembered our frantic kisses from the night before.

Yes. I definitely wanted more of that.

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	14. Chapter 14

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There was a major flaw in my planning for our date.

I'd spent all my time worrying about how to keep him from getting too distracted… how to keep him focused on getting to know each other better.

What I _hadn't_ taken into account was how hard it might be for _me_ to stay focused.

The moment I opened the door and saw him standing there in a pale blue dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the collar and an adorable gray pea coat, I knew I was in trouble. He didn't just look cute.

He looked sexy as hell.

His little black glasses only made him hotter for some reason, like I couldn't wait to rip them off his face and smother him with kisses.

Could girls have librarian fantasies, too?

Or a sexy school teacher… oh, fuck yeah.

"Hi, Bella," he smiled awkwardly, causing me to snap out of my instant vision of Professor Cullen forcing me to stay after class to earn a little bit of extra credit. "Um… I brought this for you. I hope that's okay." I looked down to find that he was holding out a long-stemmed red rose.

"Oh, wow! Thank you!" I took it from him, holding it up to smell the lovely fragrance. "Why wouldn't that be okay?"

"Well, I didn't know your favorite flower, or if you even liked flowers. I figured that a rose was a safe bet."

"I love flowers… just about any kind of flower. And roses are beautiful." I smelled it again and smiled up at him. "Nobody's ever given me flowers before," I whispered.

"Really?" He stood up a little straighter, as if knowing he had done the right thing had given him an extra boost of confidence. "Well… I'm glad you like it."

"Why don't you come inside for a minute while I put this in some water, and then we can get going?" I stepped aside towards the kitchen so that he could follow me.

Knowing that I would never find a bud vase in my father's house, I looked through the cupboards until I found the tallest glass possible. Filling it with water and cutting off the end of the long stem, I angled the flower in the glass so that it wouldn't tip over. It was still way too long to fit in the glass properly, but I just couldn't bear the thought of cutting it any shorter yet.

"I would have introduced you to my dad," I called out over my shoulder, "but he left early to grab some dinner before work."

"That's okay," Edward said from the doorway. "Maybe next time." He said the last so quietly that I barely heard him, but it made me feel giddy nonetheless. If he was thinking about a next time, then that meant this was more than just a one-time date to him, and that idea made me insanely happy.

"Ready to go?" I asked, turning around to find that he was much closer to me than he was before. Leaning back against the counter, I looked up at him and smiled. "Wow… I never realized how tall you are." He had almost a foot on me, causing me to tip my head back a bit when he was so close.

"You didn't notice last night?" he smiled.

"Uh… well," I could feel my face heating. "I was a little bit preoccupied last night."

"Me too."

We stood there in silence after that and just stared at each other, as if we were daring each other to make the first move. I wanted so badly to just reach up and pull him down to me, kissing him senseless, but I knew myself enough to know that I wouldn't stop there. As soon as I tasted his lips I would be done for, dragging him upstairs and throwing him down on my bed.

It's kind of hard to have a proper first date if you've already mounted your date and ridden him like Seabiscuit before you've even left the house.

"We should go," I whispered weakly, my throat suddenly very dry.

"Yeah," he nodded slowly. "That's probably a good idea."

He held out his hand to me and smiled. I slid my fingers into his palm and he clutched them tightly, as if he'd finally been given something he'd wanted for a very long time… like a small child being given their favorite candy that they had no intention of sharing with anyone.

That suited me just fine. I wasn't a big fan of sharing, either.

He led me outside to his car, which was the first time I ever noticed what he drove. "A Volvo?" I asked, quirking my eyebrow at him.

"They're one of the highest rated cars for safety," he said matter-of-factly. "My dad and I thought it would be the most responsible choice for a first car."

"That makes sense, I guess." At least it was a newer model… a nice silver sedan, not one of those old boxy grocery getters. Actually, the closer he got to it, the sexier it started to look.

He opened my door, another first for me, then made sure we were both buckled up before driving us to Port Angeles.

"Would you like to listen to some music on the way?" he asked, behaving like the perfect host. "I have my iPod, or we can listen to satellite radio."

I was torn, not sure which way I should answer. I really loved the Alt Nation channel and had totally been going through withdrawal since moving, but something told me that would be the selfish answer.

"Um… how about your iPod?" I wanted to get to know him; what better way to start than with the music he liked?

From the huge smile he gave me, I could tell that I'd made the right choice.

"Okay!" He plugged it into the dock, scrolling through a few different screens before looking at me shyly. "I, uh… I sort of made a playlist. You know, for tonight."

"You made us a date mix?"

I seriously didn't think this guy could get any fucking cuter.

"Yeah, well… it's just a bunch of songs that… make me think of you."

I stand corrected. He just blew way the hell past cute and was bordering on adorkable.

I saw when he queued it up that he had named the playlist _Bella Songs_, which caused the strangest fluttering sensation in my stomach. Needless to say, I was totally blown away when he hit play and _Junk of the Heart_ by The Kooks, one of my favorite newer songs, started playing.

"Oh my God, I _love_ this song!" I squealed.

"I know," he replied, clearing his throat nervously.

"How do you know? We've never talked about it, have we?" I may not have paid as much attention to Edward as I should have in the past, but I definitely would have remembered an entire conversation about my favorite music.

"You, uh… you hum it a lot. In class."

"I _do_?" Jesus, Bella… not only do you ramble, but now you apparently hum.

"Yeah. Once I figured out what song it was, I looked it up and listened to it. The music is okay, but… it's the lyrics that really make it for me."

"Oh, I know! That's what I love most about it. Although the music is great, too. It just all goes together to me. The tune is so light and bubbly and fun, and then the lyrics are just so damn sweet and touching. When they're put together, I can't help but smile."

My favorite part started playing, where the singer breaks into a few lighthearted _la la la's_ before repeating the adorable chorus, so of course I couldn't stop myself from singing along like an idiot and bopping around in my seat.

_Still I notice nothing makes you shatter, no no._

_You're a lover of the wild and a joker of the heart._

_But are you mine?_

_I wanna make you happy, I wanna make you feel alive._

_Let me make you happy, I wanna make you feel alive at night._

_I wanna make you happy, if you're a good girl tonight._

I glanced over to find Edward staring at me intensely. Figuring that I looked like a doofus, I stopped singing along, but it did nothing to lessen the determined look he was giving me.

"What?" I finally asked, a little embarrassed by his regard.

He blinked a few times and turned back to face the road. "Uh… nothing. I just… really like the words."

We both got quiet as the next song started, a Coldplay song I'd never heard before called _Shiver_.

_So I look in your direction, but you pay me no attention, do you?_

_I know you don't listen to me, 'cause you say you see straight through me, don't you?_

_And on and on from the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep_

_I'll be there by your side, just you try and stop me_

_I'll be waiting in line, just to see if you care_

I felt Edward's eyes on me again, but when I turned to catch him in the act he was already watching the road again.

By the time his iPod started playing _Creep_ by Radiohead, I was beginning to detect a pattern.

_When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye_

_You're just like an angel, your skin makes me cry_

_You float like a feather, in a beautiful world_

_I wish I was special, you're so very special_

_But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo_

_What the hell am I doing here?_

_I don't belong here_

"Edward?" I finally got up the nerve to ask as he was parking the car at the restaurant.

"Yes?"

I waited until he had turned off the engine so that I had his full attention in the quiet car.

"You didn't make that playlist today, did you?"

"What makes you say that?" he hedged, looking away nervously.

"Come on, Edward. I thought we were going to try to get to know each other tonight. That isn't going to be very easy if we aren't honest with each other."

"You're right," he sighed, looking at me with color blooming in his cheeks. "I started making that mix when you first moved here."

"Why? I mean, they're beautiful songs… but they're so sad. At least, they make _me_ feel sad."

"I'm sorry, I never wanted you to be sad. Like I said earlier, these are songs that have always made me think of you. They… it's like they say the words that I never could." He looked deep into my eyes, reaching out to stroke my cheek. "You don't know how long I've hated myself for not being able to talk to you."

I reached up and covered his hand with my own. "You seem to be doing a fine job now. Right now is all that matters; we can't focus on the past. Like I told you last night, I don't think I would have been ready for you when I first moved here. I'm sorry that you felt that way for so long, but I'm happy that we are finally trying to see where this is going." I leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips before pulling back and smiling at him. "Better late than never, right?"

"Yes," he whispered, kissing me again quickly. "Better late than never."

"Good. Can we go eat now? I'm starving!"

"Yes," he laughed, and it reached all the way up into his beautiful eyes. "Yes, let's go eat."

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><p>Poor little Shyward. Let's hope he can get the words out from now on.<p>

For those of you waiting for those lemons that you know I can't live without, just know that before this date is over, things are going to start ramping up a bit. ;-p (Of course, the date is split into a few chapters, so I'm still gonna make you work for it.)

I just learned today that The Single Game has been rec'd for Fic of the Week over at The Lemonade Stand. It's a great blog if you've never visited, they rec some really wonderful fics. Anyway, voting lasts for two more days, so if you want to drop by and give me some love, here's the link. Just remove the spaces. (tehlemonadestand . blogspot. com)


	15. Chapter 15

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Edward took me to a lovely Italian restaurant called Bella Italia. I teased him by asking if he had only taken me there because my name was in the title, to which he simply shrugged and said, "Maybe."

We laughed and talked over our shared bruschetta appetizer, which tasted delicious but had me constantly checking my shirt for little chunks of tomato. I had a nasty habit of spilling food all over me whenever I ate, and that was one night that I really didn't want to wear my dinner.

We took turns asking each other questions about ourselves throughout our meal, which was how I learned that Edward was not only good with computers, but that he was also very creative. He liked to read and sketch in his free time, and he really wanted to study graphic design in college.

"So you don't want to be some video game programmer or something like that?"

"No," he chuckled and shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I love my video games, but they are a fun way to escape for me. If I made that my career, I don't think I would like it anymore. I just want to play them."

"And your father doesn't want you to go into medicine?"

"No… both of my parents have always pushed me to do what's right for me. They would never want me to follow in their footsteps; they'd rather I make my own."

"They sound really great. It must be nice to have two parents working together to raise you, instead of always arguing or refusing to speak to each other."

"Is that how your parents are?" he asked, twirling his spaghetti around his fork.

"Well, not so much anymore; they can actually hold a conversation now if they have to. But it was pretty bad for a while when I was little."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Nothing to be sorry for," I assured him. "It's not like I'm the first child of divorce or anything. We manage pretty well now. I feel kind of bad for my dad, though. I never realized how lonely he was here."

"He doesn't ever date?"

"Not that I've ever seen. I wish he would, too. If there's one thing I noticed since I moved back, it's that he needs a woman to take care of him."

"I'm sure he's not helpless, Bella. He managed all those years without you."

"True… but he eats like garbage. And I've seen how much he loves it when I cook dinner and baby him a little bit; he's definitely suited for married life. He just needs someone who loves living in Forks as much as he does."

"Well, you never know," Edward smiled. "He could still meet the right woman."

We ate in silence for a bit, simply enjoying each other's company. After a while Edward started looking uncomfortable, as if he wanted to say something but was losing his nerve again.

"What is it?" I asked, refusing to let him chicken out.

"Well… you know how you mentioned my parents earlier?"

"Yeah, they sound like great parents."

"Would you… uh," he coughed to clear his throat. "Do you think you might like to meet them?"

"Did you have something in mind?"

"Well… my mother wanted me to ask you over for dinner next weekend."

"Wow, already?" I couldn't keep the shocked tone from my voice.

"Too soon? I _told_ her it was too soon!" he mumbled the last to himself.

"Edward, calm down," I soothed, reaching out and patting his hand. "I'm not saying no; I was just surprised that they would want to meet me already, that's all."

"Oh, well they're actually dying to meet you, my mother in particular. I've sort of been talking about you for a while. When she heard we were going out tonight she got so excited."

"She sounds really sweet," I smiled, squeezing his hand that I still held. "I'd love to go."

"Really? That's wonderful." He grabbed my fingers and pulled them up to his lips, kissing them gently. "Thank you, Bella."

"What are you thanking _me_ for? Thank _you_ for inviting me."

We ended up splitting a molten chocolate cake for dessert, and after a few bites I noticed that Edward had a drop of fudge sauce on his lip. Fighting my urge to jump over the table and lick it off, I leaned over slowly and brought my thumb to the corner of his mouth.

"You have a little… right here." I wiped away the sauce, but when I pulled back I noticed that his eyes were staring straight down my top.

Once he realized that he'd been caught, his cheeks colored brightly and he coughed a few times. "Uh… is that a swan?" he asked.

"What?"

"Your necklace." He pointed to the silver pendant that hung around my neck. "I was trying to figure out what it was."

"Oh… my necklace. Yes, it's a swan. It used to belong to my dad's mother."

"Well, it's beautiful."

"Thank you," I smiled knowingly.

And thank you, Alice!

The movie theater was just down the block, so we decided to walk there. Edward took my hand and held it tightly, and it felt so nice to be out in public with him that I couldn't help from swinging our arms back and forth between us as we walked. He didn't seem to mind, if the smile on his face was any indication.

We chose the closest thing to a date movie that we could find from the limited selection available, some brainless Rom/Com with a typical movie couple going through typical movie problems. It wasn't horrible, just predictable. It was _so_ predictable, in fact, that I didn't think I would really miss anything if I happened to maybe… oh, I don't know… kiss Edward a couple hundred times or so.

I leaned over slowly, making him think that I wanted to whisper something in his ear. When he angled himself closer to me, I flicked the tip of my tongue against his earlobe before sucking it between my lips and biting gently. At first I thought I'd hurt him or shocked him because he let out a loud gasp, but my worries were put to rest a few seconds later when he followed that up with a combination moan/grunt in the back of his throat.

"What are you doing, Bella?" he choked out as I started to kiss my way down to his neck. I could tell that he was trying so hard to be a respectable date, but I'd had enough of respectable Edward.

"Kiss me," I whispered in the dark, and the speed at which he turned in his seat to cover my lips with his own was almost comical. _Almost_.

The second he slipped his tongue between my lips, I wasn't laughing about _anything_. I was too busy seeing stars.

We kissed and panted and nipped and licked for what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes. Before long, my hand was reaching down and gripping his upper thigh. I felt the muscles tense underneath the fabric of his jeans, and he let loose another one of those sexy whimpers in my mouth.

I so badly wanted to keep sliding my hand up higher, desperate to feel the hardness that I was pretty sure I would find waiting for me, but I had just enough rationality left to know that we definitely needed more privacy before starting something like that.

"Edward," I whispered after forcing myself away from his delicious lips.

"What?" He pulled back to look at me, but his movements were a bit sluggish, as if he were in a daze. His eyes looked almost hypnotized as he stared at my mouth, waiting for me to speak.

"I think we should leave."

"Where do you want to go?" he asked, looking confused.

"Take me to your car."

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><p>Bom-Chicka-Wow-Wow ;-)<p>

Let's give Bella a round of applause for making it all the way through dinner and half of the movie!

Could _you_ make it that long?


	16. Chapter 16

Alright, this is where we really start to earn our M rating, boys and girls.

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><p>.<p>

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Once we were in the safety of Edward's car I suggested that he drive us down by the waterfront to find some place more private to park. His eyes got really big for a moment and he swallowed thickly, but he just nodded and started driving.

I still thought that it was too soon to have sex with him, no matter how badly my body was screaming at me to do it, but it certainly felt like the right time to step things up a notch… or two. It was clearly obvious that we were ungodly attracted to each other, and in all honesty… his inexperience was beginning to be a major turn on. I kept thinking of all the things I could show him and teach him… slowly, one by one.

We found a quiet spot to park, and the moment he turned the engine off he was lunging across the center console at me. He pulled me to him quickly, kissing me damn near senseless before I knew what was happening. I wanted to turn and face him better, but the bucket seats weren't the easiest to maneuver in.

"Edward… _oh_… I mean, wait!" I put my hands up on his chest to push him back a bit.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked shyly.

"No, baby," I panted. "You're doing everything amazingly well, actually."

"You called me baby," he said slowly.

"I did, didn't I?" It had sort of slipped out there in the heat of the moment.

The slow smile that crept over his face made my stomach do somersaults. "I liked it."

"Good, because I liked saying it."

"So, why did you stop me?"

"I was going to say that it's awfully cramped up here. Maybe we should move to the back seat."

At the words _back seat_, all the color drained from his face.

"Uh… Bella… I don't have any, uh… you see, I never dreamed this would happen… I mean, I wanted it, of course I did, but I never thought in my wildest dreams we would do more than a little kissing tonight… _fuck_, I'm such an _idiot_!"

"Sweetheart, you've got to relax," I soothed, stroking the sides of his face slowly. "We're not having sex tonight, so calm down."

"We're not?"

"No," I shook my head. "Don't get me wrong, sex in the back of your car might be on the menu some time down the road, but not for our first time together. I want to be able to take my time with you."

"Oh _God_," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut at my words.

"There are a few bases you still need to visit before hitting a home run, mister. There's no reason we can't have a little fun." I winked at him before getting out of the car and into the back seat. I would have just climbed over the seat, but there's just no way to look sexy doing that. When I looked forward, I realized that Edward was still sitting up front in a daze. "Aren't you going to join me?"

"Uh… yeah." He slowly got out of the car and into the other side next to me. Sitting there for a moment as if collecting his thoughts, he finally turned to face me. "Bella, I'm really sorry for wigging out like that. I just sort of panicked because I didn't have any protection, and I didn't think I'd be able to stop myself once we started. I didn't want to risk being irresponsible with you."

"I appreciate that. Believe me, when the time is right, we'll be as responsible as you want."

"Thank you." He seemed relieved to have gotten the tricky subject of birth control out of the way.

"I also appreciate how open you are being with me. I think it's important for you to know that you can talk to me about anything that we choose to do or not do, okay? I don't care how embarrassed you are; if there is something you want to ask about or discuss, please trust that I won't laugh at you or judge you. I _want_ you to be curious. I _want_ you to ask questions. I want you to want to _try_ things. I know that I sure do."

His breathing began to pick up, and his gaze darted back and forth between my eyes and my mouth. When he spoke, it was barely a whisper. "What… what do you want to try?"

"That's a pretty long list, Edward," I said, inching closer to him. "How about I start with what I'd like to try tonight?"

"Tell me." He was nearly panting now, and I hadn't even touched him. The husky tone of his voice was more than a little arousing.

"Well," I said, leaning even closer, practically whispering in his ear. "I'd really like to touch you… and I'd love to feel your hands on me. But only if you're comfortable with that."

He grunted loudly, slumping over until his forehead was resting on my shoulder. When he finally spoke, his words came out almost jumbled, in frenzied gasps and whispers against my skin. He punctuated each brief pause with kisses and licks on my neck and collarbone. "God, Bella! You have no idea… how long I have wished to hear you say something like that to me… I want you so badly… I've been afraid to get too close to you… worried you'd think I was weird for how much I want you!"

"How much do you want me, Edward?" I asked, shoving my hands into his hair and holding him to me firmly as he kissed my skin. "Let me hear you say it." I was more than a little breathless; he was driving me absolutely insane with lust.

His hot lips and tongue worked their way up higher, biting and nipping along the way until he was panting in my ear. "I've never wanted anyone this way in my entire life… so much… so much _need_… I think about you all day… all fucking _night_!"

"Oh _God_," I gasped, pulling his mouth to mine as I leaned back against the seat, forcing him to partially lie on top of me. I could feel his hand settling tentatively on my waist as we kissed, but that just wasn't going to cut it. "Touch me… _please_!"

I grabbed his hand and placed it on my right breast, holding him to it until he began to grip it himself.

"_Ungh_!" he grunted into my mouth, his hips bucking against me as his large hand started to squeeze me through my sweater. It felt wonderful, but he still wasn't close enough for me.

"Edward, wait." I pushed him up a bit so there was enough room between us. His eyes were fiery behind his glasses, searching out my features to see why I had stopped him. "Help me take this off," I said, tugging at my sweater.

His eyes nearly bugged out of his head, but he quickly complied, lifting and pulling at the offending fabric until we had successfully gotten it over my head. I tossed it down on the floorboard next to me and looked back up at him with a smile. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_," he croaked, staring down at the pink cotton cloth that was the only thing left covering me from his eyes. "You are so fucking beautiful." His voice was full of wonder and awe… making me feel like a precious treasure to him.

He leaned forward, kissing and licking across the exposed tops of my breasts, as if he felt honored just to be shown even that partial view of them. His hands slowly joined in the mix, gripping and squeezing them through the thin cotton, eventually pushing them together to exaggerate my cleavage… which he wasted no time in burying his face in and groaning.

"Here, let me get this out of the way, too." I didn't want to take my bra all the way off, in case I needed to get dressed again in a hurry, so I started to pull the straps down over my shoulders. When Edward realized what I was doing, he backed up on his knees to watch me. I noticed as he looked down at me that his glasses had gotten smudged and fogged over. "Why don't we take these off, too?" I asked with a giggle, reaching up to pull at the frames.

"Not yet," he replied quickly, grabbing my hand. "I want to see you first. I need to see you as clearly as possible." He quickly wiped them off with his shirt and put them back on, staring down at me intently.

Flattered at his obvious desire, I went back to pulling down the straps. Once my arms were free, I watched his face closely as I pulled the cups downward, turning them inside out to expose my bare breasts.

"So beautiful," he whispered. We both watched transfixed as his long fingers reached out, ghosting over the round swells of flesh, inching closer to the tightened rosy tips in the center, just hovering there… as if he was afraid I would shatter.

"_Touch me_," I pleaded again.

He made some sort of a choked sobbing sound before ripping his glasses off and chucking them in the back window of the car. Burying his face in my cleavage again, I felt his soft lips kissing and nipping at the bare flesh frantically, his hands gripping me firmly and squeezing. I felt more than heard his grunt against my hardened nipple as he took one in his mouth, suckling as if his life depended on it while he pinched and rolled the other one between his fingers. After spending a few minutes like that, he suddenly swapped sides and repeated his worshipping all over again.

Holy shit!

I'd never been so fucking close to coming over nothing more than some nipple play.

I ran my hands up and down his back, but the fabric of his shirt was blocking me from the warm skin I craved. Grabbing the material, I pulled at it until he got the message, leaning back just enough to yank his shirt over his head and toss it down next to mine.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record… Holy fucking shit!

Edward had _quite_ the body going on underneath his clothes. He had _muscles_… nothing huge or overstated like Emmett, but he was firm and toned in all the right places.

"Is something wrong?" he asked nervously when I continued to stare at his chest with my mouth hanging open.

"Uh… no. Not at all." I smiled up at him. "I was just thinking that _you_ are the beautiful one."

"Oh," he said, dipping his head down shyly. "Um… Emmett's been making me work out with him on the weekends. He said it was payback for always giving him a ride."

I reached up slowly and ran my fingertips across his stomach muscles, loving how they twitched at my touch. I dragged them higher up his body until I was circling his own flat, copper nipples. They pebbled instantly at the contact, and the loud groan he let out filled the car.

"You like that?" I asked, watching him throw his head back and biting his lip, getting more aroused by the second. He could only nod, too caught up in the sensation. I rose up a bit, holding myself up by the heels of my hands until I could kiss along his chest. I flicked my tongue over his nipples, one at a time, before sucking on them harder and biting down gently with my teeth.

"_Fuck_!" he groaned, bucking his hips against me more firmly this time. He pushed me back down and covered my body with his own, the feeling of his warm skin next to mine making my head spin. He kissed me fiercely, swirling his tongue with mine as he gripped and fondled my breasts. Before long I could feel him slowly rocking his hips into mine, the hard bulge in his jeans only teasing me where I wanted more friction.

I was pulsing and throbbing between my legs, and every brush of him against me only flooded me with more moisture.

"God… _Edward_," I panted. "I'm so fucking wet for you… I want you so much it hurts!"

He buried his face in the crook of my neck and cried out almost painfully, slamming his hips into mine more roughly. "Oh… Bella, please… _please_," he cried. "Please let me touch you! I need to feel you… I need to make you feel good." The raw hunger on his face when he pulled back to look at me spoke more than any words he said that night.

His passion was so powerful that all I could do was nod mutely, reaching down between us to unbutton my jeans. I lifted my hips enough to pull them down a bit… just enough to give him room to touch me.

"Why don't you want to take them off?" he asked. "I want to see you."

"Because if I get my pants all the way off around you right now, I'm going to break my promise to be responsible. I promise that you'll have plenty of time to see me later. Now, come back here."

He nodded and moved back over me, propping himself up on one hand. Leaning in to kiss me again, he ran his free hand down my cheek before letting it drop lower. He stroked my breast a few times, pinching my nipple as he went, then ventured lower over my belly until he was playing with the elastic of my underwear. Shooting me one last questioning look to make sure it was okay, he slipped his hand beneath the material.

I was so slick with moisture that it was almost embarrassing. My outer lips were completely covered and my panties were absolutely soaked. I felt his long fingers searching, reaching until he encountered the wetness that waited for him.

He made another choking sound, and I looked up to see him clenching his eyes shut. Without opening them, he continued moving his fingers lower until they slipped right between my folds. A loud groan tore from his throat and he stopped moving for a moment, his entire body shaking above me. He took a few seconds to collect himself, breathing in deep, choppy breaths. When he finally opened his eyes again, they had a new look of determination.

"Show me how to touch you."

I didn't even think about being embarrassed; I simply nodded and reached down, covering his hand with my own. I pushed two of his fingers deeper until he was centered over my throbbing bundle of nerves. "This is my clit," I whispered, swirling his fingers around in tight circles, moaning at the sensation. "This is what you rub when you want to make me come fast for you." Edward's breathing was becoming more ragged, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from where our hands disappeared between my legs. "And this," I said, pushing his hand farther down. "This is where you'll fit inside me." I spread my legs a bit wider and brought his fingers to my opening, groaning loudly as he started pushing them inside.

"Does that hurt you?" he asked, slowly moving his two fingers deeper. "It's so… oh _God_, it's so fucking tight!"

"No," I gasped. "It feels amazing."

"What do I do now?"

"Just keep pushing them back and forth inside me," I panted, "like it's you in there."

"You want me to fuck you with my fingers?" he moaned, moving them a little faster… sliding deeper each time.

"Yes!" I cried out. "Oh fuck… _yes_." His dirty talk, whether intentional or not, was driving me insane. I started to move my hips with him, rocking into his hand.

"Oh God, Bella… you look so fucking sexy like that!" he whimpered. "I want to make you come. Please, baby… _please_ let me make you come for me."

I reached for his hand again, angling it a bit so that he could rub my clit with his thumb as his fingers moved inside me. "It feels really intense when you touch both at the same time. Just… _God_, just keep doing that… I'm already so close."

He began thrusting his fingers deeper and circling his thumb just right and holy fucking hell did that boy have some raw talent. I started to feel the coiling and tightening in my lower belly and before I knew it I was grinding into his hand roughly, screaming and crying out his name while my body exploded into a fit of tremors underneath him.

Wow… that was new.

Someone actually _giving_ me an orgasm rather than just taking them.

"Was that okay?" he asked quietly, slowly pulling his hand out of my underwear.

"Edward," I gasped, trying to catch my breath. "That was so much more than okay." I quickly pulled my jeans back into place and buttoned them, not trusting myself to keep from kicking them off the rest of the way and jumping on him. "That was fucking _amazing_."

He smiled proudly, but I noticed that he was preoccupied with staring down at his fingers. When I looked closer, I could see that they were glistening in the moonlight, still covered with my wetness, and he was swirling his thumb against them in wonderment.

"So slippery," he whispered to himself. I watched as he brought his fingers up to his nose and sniffed once, grunting low in his chest before flicking his tongue against them. The next thing I knew, he had sucked them both into his mouth and proceeded to clean them off with a loud groan.

Oh. My. God.

I don't care if everyone else in the entire world might find what he just did gross; that was the most primal, instinctual and sexual thing I had ever seen in my entire life.

And it made me want him even more.

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><p>AN: Are you guys still with me? Because Edward's turn is next!

It seems to me like that boy is a natural!

This was originally one huge chapter, but I split it up. I'm going to try to post the second half tomorrow as an early Christmas gift to you wonderful readers, and then I'm afraid there might be a few days with no updates. Hubs and I are going out of town for vacation, and I am also getting near the end of what I already have prewritten. If I get time I'll try to write some more, but I don't know what kind of internet access I'm going to have for the next week.


	17. Chapter 17

Here's the rest of your Christmas present!

_We now return to our lemon, already in progress..._

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><p>.<p>

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"Edward, get up on your knees for me," I told him, breaking him out of his trance. "I want you to straddle my waist."

"Why?" he asked, confusion written all over his face as he moved to appease me.

"Because I need to touch you, Edward. I need to touch you so fucking bad I'm going out of my mind. But I want you up here over my waist so I can't get my legs around you." It might have sounded stupid, but I didn't trust myself to not yank my jeans back down and shove him inside me the second I got my hands on him.

"Oh God," he moaned. "Bella… I don't know how long I can handle this; I'm hanging on by a thread, already. I don't know how I've held it together this long. Watching you like that… touching you… it was hotter than anything I've ever dreamt about."

"That's okay," I explained. "This isn't about trying to make it last right now. That will come with practice. This is about me making you feel as good as you did to me."

He was where I asked him to be, straddling my waist with one knee against the back of the seat and his other leg braced on the floorboard. It was a little awkward, but it allowed me to look up at him like I wanted.

I put both of my hands on his thighs, sliding them up slowly while I looked him in the eye. The closer I got, the slower I moved, until he was whimpering above me. Once I was finally there, right there, at that large bulge straining against the denim of his jeans, I gently covered it with both of my hands.

"_Oh_!" he gasped, his hips jerking forward involuntarily. I gripped him a bit more firmly, feeling him through the material.

"Do you want me to touch you, Edward?"

"_Yes_!" he gritted through his teeth, looking almost tortured.

I made quick work of his button and zipper, anxious to see what was waiting for me. When he was completely unfastened, I pulled his jeans down over his hips, bringing his underwear with them. His prominent erection sprang free, bobbing up and down in front of me a few times.

Oh. My. Cock.

It was absolutely gorgeous.

I mean, I knew bigger ones existed, I _had_ seen porn after all, but it was long and thick and just… perfect.

"My God, Edward… you are so fucking beautiful." I went to reach for him, but thought better of it, pulling my hands up to my mouth and licking my palms thoroughly. "Like I said, don't worry if this is over fast. Just enjoy it."

I was gentle at first, sliding my fingers up and down the smooth length of him. He made a loud hissing sound and jerked at the contact, slowly relaxing to my touch. Holding himself very still with his jaw clenched so tight it looked painful, he watched as I wrapped my slick palms around his shaft. I used both hands, end to end, to cover his length, sliding them back and forth.

"Oh… oh God… oh, Bella." His frantic, repetitive words were sexy as hell, encouraging me to grip him more firmly.

"Move your hips," I instructed, loving the feel of my hands slipping over his hardened flesh. "Thrust forward… _yes_, just like that. Don't stop."

"_Ooooooh_…. Oh _fuck_…" His moans almost sounded pained, like he was in agony. "Bella… oh God, baby… I can't hold it!"

"Then come for me… I want you to." God, did I want him to.

"But… where?"

"Here," I said, glancing down at my still-exposed breasts. "I want you to come on my tits."

"Oh _fuck_!" he cried out, jerking his hips forward rapidly. Just hearing me say the words sent him over the edge, causing him to explode. I watched as he pumped thick bursts of warm fluid all over my chest, and I would be a damn liar if I said that it didn't turn me on even more.

"Oh my God," he said, breathing rapidly, looking down at me with amazement. "I've never felt anything like that… never seen anything so fucking hot."

"Really?" I asked, smiling up at him as I brought my hands to my chest, running them through the cooling liquid, smearing it all over my breasts. Lifting my finger to my mouth, I sucked it clean, tasting him the way that he tasted me. "God, you're delicious," I moaned, loving his earthy, salty taste.

"Holy fuck," he choked out. "I stand corrected. _That's_ the fucking hottest thing I've ever seen."

We both put our clothes back on, but not before Edward gallantly offered me the use of his shirt to clean off with. It had mostly dried at that point anyway, so I just told him I'd just wash the stickiness off when I got home.

On the drive back, he looked over at me and smiled sheepishly. "Does it make me sick if I say that I _like_ the idea of you going home covered in me?"

"No," I laughed. "It just means that you're in touch with your inner caveman. You like marking your territory." I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"God… I really do. That was… Bella, that was fucking intense. I can't believe everything that happened."

As he pulled up to my house I turned to face him. "Are you sure you're okay with everything that we did? I'd hate to think I rushed you when you weren't ready."

"Did I look like I wasn't okay with any of it?" he teased. "This has been the best night of my life… and I know it will only get better from here… because I have you now."

"Are you sure that you don't… think any less of me? You know, after tonight?" I had to put it out there. Guys were funny about this stuff, and I didn't want to be on one page only to find out Edward was on another.

He paused for a minute, grabbing my hands and holding them before he continued. "Bella, even if we never touched each other like that again, I would feel blessed just to be able to call you mine. And no, I could never think any less of you. I think you're sweet and patient and loving and kind. And sexy as hell."

I took a deep breath and committed those words to memory, filing them away in my mind under the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to me.

"I should get home before it gets too late," he said, glancing at the clock. "May I call you tomorrow?"

"I'd love that," I said, smiling brightly. I kissed him quickly on the lips before opening my door and stepping out of the car. "Oh, Edward?"

"Yes?"

"If you're going to be my boyfriend, you need to know that you never have to ask permission to call me. I'll always love to hear from you. Even if I'm busy at the moment, I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"Is that what I am, Bella?" he replied. "Am I your boyfriend?"

"Well, don't you want to be? From the way you were talking, I sort of assumed we were headed that way."

"Yes," he said, nodding quickly. "I would have said something sooner but I just… didn't know how to ask you."

"Well, there. It's settled. Nothing to be nervous about, was there?"

"No." He shook his head, almost in a daze.

"Alright, then. Goodnight, boyfriend," I smiled at him.

"Goodnight… my beautiful girlfriend." The look of pride on his face as he said those words was indescribable.

He waited until I had made it inside my house before pulling away; wanting to make sure I got in safely. Always the gentleman.

After I had showered off my dirty deeds for the night, I got ready for bed. Lying there in the dark, I couldn't help but replay every single thing that had happened, over and over again.

It wasn't just that Edward was attractive and his inexperience turned me on; he was also sweet and thoughtful and fun to be around. I liked him as a person and he treated me with respect.

I couldn't help thinking that this could turn out to be a major relationship if given the right chance.

I was certainly not going to ignore the rare gift that I'd been given in Edward.

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><p>Merry Christmas! See you after the New Year!<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! Sorry for the delay, but I had absolutely NO free time to write while I was gone, and I only get a few nights a week to get much writing done. Until I can get a nice chunk of time to stockpile away a bunch more chapters like before, the updates might either be a few days apart for a while, or they might be even shorter for a bit. Just giving you a heads up, but I'm hoping to get back in gear as soon as possible.

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><p>.<p>

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Late Sunday afternoon, right while I was in the middle of changing out loads of laundry and cooking a meatloaf for dinner, I heard my cell phone ringing upstairs in my bedroom. I slammed the dryer shut and tore up the stairs, just answering it in time as I bounced on top of my mattress.

"Hello?" I gasped, panting from my sprint.

"Is this a bad time?" Edward asked, worry evident in his lovely voice.

"No," I smiled, thrilled that he had followed through on the phone call. "I was just downstairs. Forgot to take my phone with me."

"Oh… okay," he sighed, audibly relaxing.

"I'm happy you called," I blurted out awkwardly. "I mean… I know you said you would… but it's still nice, you know?"

"Did I wait too long to call? I didn't mean to worry you."

"No, I wasn't worried, I promise. I'm just… happy to hear your voice, I guess."

"I feel the same way," he said. "I had to force myself to wait this long to call you. I thought it might freak you out a bit if I called as soon as I'd wanted."

"When was that?" I asked, smiling at how sweet he was.

"Oh, about six-thirty this morning." We both laughed, but as we settled down his voice dropped to a whisper. "I couldn't stop thinking about you all night."

"Same here," I admitted, feeling my cheeks heat as I flashed on the image of his head thrown back in ecstasy.

"Not just about that… although I thought about that a lot, too. I just… kept thinking about finally being able to call you mine."

"So you're as happy about this as I am?"

"More."

"Nope, not possible."

"Alright… how about we call it a draw?" he laughed. God, it was so nice to hear him laughing.

"I suppose that's fair. So, what have you been up to all day?"

"I had to help my dad clean out the garage earlier, then I worked out with Emmett for a while."

I felt lightheaded for a moment, remembering the way his firm muscles had moved under my hands. "So, how long have you guys been doing that?"

"About a year now. Emmett said that he was tired of me looking like a sickly string bean."

"I'll bet you were still a cute string bean," I giggled. Christ, the boy was making me _giggle_.

"You think I'm cute?" he asked, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Of _course_ I think you're cute. Especially your sexy little glasses; they just kill me."

"My glasses? You're kidding."

"No way. You looked so nice last night, and those glasses just…" Thoughts of my naughty professor fantasy flew through my mind. "Baby, they just… do things to me."

"God," he sighed. "I _really_ like it when you call me that. So," he chuckled, "you think I'm cute and my glasses… _do_ things to you."

"Yes. Do you… um…" my voice dropped to a whisper. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"No." He was quiet just long enough for my heart to skip a beat. "I think you're stunning."

"_Really_?" I swear to God I squeaked.

"Bella… the very first moment I saw you, you took my breath away. There's just something about you that pulls me in… like a magnet."

"Wow. I'm the one who's breathless now." Was this guy for real? Did I fall down and hit my head and my mind was running rampant, conjuring up the perfect man? If I suddenly woke up only to find out that this had all been some elaborate bullshit dream like The Wizard of Oz, I was going to be really fucking pissed.

"My mother was thrilled that you accepted her invitation. You _are_ still coming next weekend, right?"

"Yes, but I'll admit that I'm a little nervous about it. Do you think they'll like me?"

"They already like you because _I_ like you. They've seen how happy you've made me. Once they get to know you, I'm sure it will only grow."

"You're so damn sweet," I cried, feeling tears welling up in my eyes at his lovely words.

He was so sensitive and innocent. On one hand, it drove me crazy and made me want to corrupt him… to show him all the dirty things that we could do together. On the other hand, I was secretly worried that not only would I corrupt him, but that I would ruin him. What if all that sweetness just disappeared one day, and all he wanted was sex?

What if he thought that all _I_ wanted was sex? What if he was feeling pressured or thought I expected something from him?

"Edward… I hope you know that I really do like you… _so_ much."

"Why do you sound upset?"

"Well, I just realized that after our date, you might not have the best impression of me."

"How so? I told you last night that you didn't rush me."

"I know, but I didn't want to make you think that was all I wanted from you. I know we sort of started out backwards, getting physical before we really got close, and I'd hate for you to think that was all you meant to me. I swear, we can go out and never make out or do anything like we did again, for as long as you want. It'll be hard, because you're so sexy and adorable, but I'll wait as long as you want; absolutely no pressure."

"Bella," he chuckled. "Just because I'm a virgin doesn't mean that I want you to treat me like some fragile little thing to protect. Yes, last night went farther than I ever expected so soon, but I sure as fuck don't regret any of it. I was honestly a little relieved that you were so forward with me; if you were as shy as I can be sometimes, we'd still be in that damn closet waiting for the other one to make the first move."

I couldn't help laughing at the visual. "True," I sighed.

"I think it's sexy as hell that you're confident enough to show me what you like. I think I might need that. I don't feel so self-conscious when you start things. If you had expected me to lead last night, I would have panicked." He was silent for a bit, choosing his words carefully. "Listen… we can go as slow or as fast as you want. I'll be comfortable with whatever pace you want to set. Just, _please_ don't worry about my opinion of you… I think you're amazing."

"Jesus," I gasped. The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering like mad.

"What's wrong?"

"Well… it's just that every time I think I'm finally getting a grasp on my feelings for you, you go and say something wonderful like that and throw me off kilter again."

"I'm glad," he said softly. We were both quiet for a moment before he added, "I was wondering… how this might change things at school."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We're dating now. Is there any sort of game plan I need to know about? I've never done this before. Do we just do the same things we've always done, or will I see you more often?"

"What do you think you'd like to do?"

"I don't like it when couples become so clingy that they don't have their own identity anymore; going everywhere glued at the hip, never doing anything without the other one's approval. It just seems forced to me."

He had just described what I had thought my relationship with Riley was supposed to be like, as if we were playing roles that were expected of us.

"You know what, Edward? I totally agree with you."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I think that people need to be true to themselves, not cram each other into limited definitions just because they are dating exclusively."

"That's a great way to put it," he laughed. "That being said, however… I did hope that I would at least see a little more of you throughout the day. Would you mind if I picked you up for school in the morning?"

"Oh, that sounds great! Wait a minute— what about Emmett? Doesn't he get a ride from you every day?"

"Yeah, well… I sort of reminded him that his girlfriend has a perfectly good car. I can still give him a lift if he's ever in a pinch, but he understood that I wanted to spend some more time with my girl."

His girl. He just called me his girl.

Fucking _swoon_.

"Okay, as long as it's not going to cause a problem between you two. I'd love to get a ride with you."

"Thank you, Bella. I can't wait to see you in the morning."

"Me, either," I smiled.

Just then, my father's voice carried up the stairs. "Uh, Bells? Why is the oven smoking?"

"Oh shit, my meatloaf! I'm sorry, Edward, but I really have to go."

"That's alright, I understand. I'll see you in the morning, beautiful."

"Goodbye," I replied, smiling as I hung up the phone.

"_Bells_?" my dad's voice called up again, only this time it was followed immediately by the high-pitch ringing of the smoke alarm.

Crap.

Guess it's diner food tonight.

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><p>Come on, ladies. You know his little glasses do things to you, to!<p>

Thank you so much for all the votes over on The Lemonade Stand! The Single Game made it in the weekly recs thanks to you! Go back and check out the lovely review that they posted.


	19. Chapter 19

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The following morning, I was surprised to hear my doorbell ringing promptly at 7:15.

I, of course, was running late. Throwing on my coat in a hurry, I grabbed my half eaten pop-tart and my backpack before opening the door to find Edward standing there in the pouring rain, holding out an umbrella for me.

"Oh my God, you're getting soaked!" I cried out, trying to be heard over the storm. I pulled on his arm, dragging him back towards his running car. He kept trying to hold the umbrella out over my head until I finally shoved it back at him, sliding my arm around his waist so that we were close enough to both fit underneath it.

He opened my car door for me, making sure that I was in and completely out of the rain before moving around to his side of the car and getting in.

"Why didn't you just honk the horn?" I asked as he tossed the umbrella behind him onto the floor of the back seat. "I would have run out."

"Don't be silly," he smiled, running his hands through his wet hair. "I didn't want you to get caught in the rain. Besides, I didn't know if your dad was home or not."

"No, he usually leaves around 5:30 when he works the day shift. Why would it matter if he was home or not?"

"I didn't think it would make the best first impression to just pull up and honk; I wanted to introduce myself."

"Oh." I didn't really know what to say to that. I wasn't used to dating a guy who actually _wanted_ to meet my father. "Well, unless you see his cruiser here in the driveway, it usually means he's at work. Feel free to honk away."

"Bella," he said incredulously. "Do you honestly think that I have so little respect for you that I would be okay with not picking you up properly?" He blinked at me a few times through rain-speckled lenses. When he spoke again, it was almost a whisper. "You're precious to me."

There went those damn butterflies in my stomach again.

I reached out slowly and wiped away the little rivulets of water that were running down his cheek from his dripping hair that was plastered to his forehead. Unable to break eye contact, I leaned in closely until my lips were hovering right over his. "And you," I whispered. "You take my breath away."

I closed the gap between us, slipping against his wet lips a bit and loving how it felt. My pervy side couldn't help but wonder what being with him in the shower would be like, while my girly side was exploding in fireworks and rainbows from the sweetness of his kiss.

Edward grunted at first, surprised by amorous attack, but he soon followed it up with that whimper that was fast becoming my favorite sound in the world. I felt his hands cup each side of my face to hold me steady before the slick tip of his tongue flicked out against my lips. I opened to him eagerly, sucking on his tongue before swirling my own around it. The noises he was making were turning me on like crazy, and when he moaned even louder into my mouth, I felt the strangest flip-flopping in my stomach. It was almost painful, as if someone had punched me in the gut, followed quickly by an intense throbbing between my legs.

Oh my God.

Just one kiss from him had given me blue balls. Or blue cooch or… whatever. All I knew was that he was fucking killing me from just one kiss. How the hell was I going to slowly introduce him to this stuff if he had that kind of effect on me?

"Edward!" I panted, forcing myself to pull away from him. "Baby, we've got to stop."

"Is something wrong?" he asked, breathing heavily and staring at my mouth again.

"No, it's… it's all too _right_! If you keep kissing me like that and making those sexy noises, I'm going to end up mounting you right here."

He made a slight choking sound and squeezed his eyes shut. "And that's a bad thing, _how_?" he gritted through his teeth.

"Well for one, we'd be late to school. Not to mention that I don't really want to give my neighbors a peep show, so get me out of here now before I do something stupid."

"You're right," he sighed, shoving his hands through his hair again. "Christ, Bella… you make me forget myself so easily."

"Don't worry," I said, kissing his cheek quickly. "The feeling is definitely mutual. Now take me to school, boyfriend."

He chuckled lightly before kissing the tip of my nose. "Yes, girlfriend."

When we pulled into the lot at school, I could feel everyone's eyes on us before we even got out of the car. The rain had died down to a light drizzle, so there were more people standing around outside than I thought there would be. It was as if the entire student body turned their heads at us at the same time.

I took a deep breath to steel myself and went to get out of the car, but Edward's hand on my shoulder stopped me. "No, wait! Allow me." He jumped out and ran around to open my door for me. When we started walking towards the building, I felt his arm drape around my shoulder possessively. When I looked up at his face, I was met with the biggest shit-eating grin I had ever seen in my life.

"You're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you?" I teased, trying to ignore the ongoing stares we were getting.

"To let everyone see that you're finally mine? Absolutely."

"Don't forget that it works both ways, mister. You're mine just as much as I'm yours."

The warmth in his eyes as he smiled down at me was breathtaking. "Exactly."

Fucking butterflies.

We went into the school smiling like idiots, overhearing tons of stupid comments as we walked.

_That's them! I heard they totally fucked in Emmett's closet at the party._

_I heard she blew him on a dare in front of everyone._

_Holy shit! Cullen's with a girl! I thought he was gay. _

_What the fuck does Swan think she's doing? She could have had me. _

We passed it all without even a second glance as Edward walked me to my locker. It wasn't until I had put my coat away and grabbed my books that he finally mentioned it.

"Did that bother you?" he asked quietly, glancing around at the few onlookers left in the hall.

"What, the stupid gossip? No."

"Really?"

"It's high school," I shrugged. "Eighty percent of what anyone says is misinformation or outright bullshit. Besides, there's always a lot of talk when a new couple starts dating. Did it bother _you_?"

"Yes and no. I know it's all just talk, but I didn't like worrying that what they were saying might be upsetting you. I don't want anyone to hurt you… I can't even stand the thought of it."

"Don't worry," I said, reaching out to squeeze his arm soothingly. "I have thicker skin than that." At the sound of the first bell I reminded him that he needed to get going to class, since his first period was downstairs on the other side of the building. "I'll see you at lunch, right?"

"Of course," he smiled, backing away from me slowly. "I can't wait."

"And you'll actually _talk_ to me this time?"

"Ha ha, very funny, smartass."

"Hey, being a smartass is what I'm good at."

"I doubt that's _all_ you're good at." He threw me a wink before turning around and running down the hall towards the stairs.

Did that just happen? He totally made a suggestive comment and winked at me.

The little shit actually _winked_ at me.

I put my hand over my heart as I walked to class, willing the flutters to calm down.

Jesus Christ, I was seriously falling for this guy.

Hard.

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* * *

><p>Awwww, me too! He's just so SWEEEEEET! (with the potential for a whole lot of naughty, so you know I like him!)<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

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.

"You two were so fucking cute at lunch!" Alice squealed next to me in Study Hall.

"Oh my God, would you keep it down?" I looked around us quickly, feeling my face heat. "What the hell was so cute? We were just eating."

"Just eating, my ass!" she laughed. "You guys were whispering and blushing and sharing bites of your food. We were all waiting for you two to start going at it right there on the table."

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes. "We didn't look any different than you guys look every day."

"Yes you did," Alice nodded. "It's so new and bright and shiny. I thought I was going to get a toothache watching you both; you're so sweet together."

"Would you stop?" I said, laughing through my embarrassment.

"You really like him, don't you?" she asked me, her tone growing serious.

"God Alice… I really do. I never expected to feel like this so fast. I knew I was attracted to him, but he just makes me feel so… alive. All I have to do is see his face or hear his voice and I feel all giddy and lightheaded. Should I be worried?"

"What the hell for?"

"It's just… so _fast_, you know? Is it dangerous to feel so much so quickly? I mean, don't those kind of things fizzle and burn out?"

"Bella, you need to lighten the hell up and just go with it. You don't know how to handle being with a decent boyfriend, that's all."

"It just feels too good to be true," I whispered.

"Well, knock it off. Edward is sweet and considerate, it's really that simple. This is all new to him, and I think he's off to an amazing start. Don't start being weird around him or making him think he's doing something wrong; we need to cultivate the few good ones who are left."

"You're right," I sighed.

"Come on, let me hear it," she smiled.

"God dammit, Gump. You're a God-damned genius," I grumbled.

"You know it!" She looked around quickly before leaning in closer and dropping her voice. "Now, when the hell are you going to spill about your date? Do you have any idea how pissed Rose is right now? She expected full, juicy details."

"Never, sorry," I replied, shaking my head as I crossed my arms.

"You've _got_ to be kidding!"

"Nope. I might eventually share some details for things we do in the future after we get more comfortable with each other, but we're too new right now. I don't know how private he is yet, and I don't want to betray his trust."

"That makes sense, I guess," she pouted. "Although, if he's like any typical red-blooded American male, he'll be ready to scream it from the rooftops when you two finally do it."

"You may be right, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, I'm going to be enjoying my new boyfriend in private, thank you very much."

And enjoying him was _exactly_ what I intended to do.

As soon as possible… and as often as I could.

The moment the bell rang I practically sprinted down the hall to my Biology class, already eager to see Edward again.

I mean really, the boy was becoming _way_ too fucking addictive.

My heart began pounding in my chest as soon as I turned the corner to find him waiting outside our classroom for me. Then the damn thing skidded to a halt and dropped to the bottom of my stomach when he looked up and shot me a smile that was brighter than sunshine.

Holy crap, was he beautiful.

"Hello there," he said when I got close enough, his voice dripping down my back like honey.

"Hi," I panted, not sure whether I was out of breath from my run or the look he was giving me.

We went inside and took our seats, and as soon as class began I realized just how difficult it was going to be to concentrate on anything with him sitting so close to me for an entire hour.

Why was it so much harder now? I'd been sitting by him for months.

Because I knew how delicious his lips were now, that's why.

I tried so hard to pay attention to the lecture, but I could actually feel him next to me. I had tingles running up and down my side, as if there was a giant electric current connecting us. The only thing I could think about was how much we would tingle together if we were rolling around naked between the sheets. It didn't help things at all when he reached over without looking away from the board and slowly slid his pinky finger down the length of my forearm, leaving a trail of burning flesh in its wake.

I instantly wanted to feel his hands on me again.

I wanted to kiss and lick every square inch of his skin.

I wanted to know how long I could make it before shoving all of our books on the floor and throwing him down on the lab table.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward's notebook sliding over towards me. When it was close enough to read, I glanced down and noticed that he had scribbled a quick note.

_What are you thinking about over there?_

I felt my ears go hot as I blushed furiously. Grabbing my pen, I wrote my response underneath his question and pushed the spiral notebook back at him.

_You. That's all I can tell you. _

He sent it back again quickly.

_Why?_

Okay buddy, you asked.

_Because the rest is too X-rated to mention in class._

He gulped loudly, and the next thing I heard was a loud snap. When I looked over I saw that he had gripped his pencil so tightly that it had broken in his palm. I watched as he carefully took the top half of the pencil and wrote something else.

_Will you tell me later? _

His gaze was on fire, the pupils dilated as he stared at me intently. I licked my lips slowly and watched his eyes follow the movement. I decided to just go for it, so I wrote the first response that came to me.

_If I don't show you first. _

"_Fuck_!" he gritted through his teeth. I noticed as he reached down and shifted himself in his jeans, which caused my mouth to go dry.

I added one more sentence to my note, unable to stop myself.

_Will you come over after school?_

He couldn't write a reply, since he had dropped his broken half of a pencil on the floor after reading my question. Looking over at me, he took a deep breath and nodded quickly.

Oh yeah.

I had no idea what was going to happen later, but I was sure as hell going to enjoy every minute of it.

.

.

* * *

><p>AN: I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to feel like Bella over here.

Me want a piece of Swoonward... NOW!


	21. Chapter 21

.

.

The last hour of the day flew by in a daze as I imagined all the sordid things I wanted to do with Edward when I got him alone.

I wasn't stupid; I knew that I couldn't let myself totally lose control and sleep with him already. Not only would that defeat my goal to build up to things, but I also knew that my dad would be home around five at the latest. Maybe in the future we would sneak in quickies after school, but for our first time together I wanted to have hours of uninterrupted pleasure.

_Hours_.

Hours of touching… kissing… licking… screaming… biting… scratching.

Oh God, it was going to fucking _kill_ me to wait.

At the sound of the bell I ran to my locker, anxious to get outside and find my boyfriend. Just thinking the word _boyfriend_ sent chills up and down my spine, causing me to run even faster to the parking lot after I had grabbed my coat.

I found him standing next to his Volvo, talking to Rose and Emmett. When he looked up at me he shot me another one of those killer smiles, which almost made me trip.

"Hey Bella," Rose called out to me as I approached them. "We were just asking Edward here if you two wanted to join us at the diner for a slice of pie or something."

"Oh… uh…" I looked back and forth between her and Edward. "Well… what did he say?"

"Nothing yet; you showed up before we got that far."

Hanging out as a couple with our friends sounded really fun, but I was absolutely desperate for some alone time with him. Not only for the physical stuff, as much as I was craving it, but honestly for some time to just get used to… _us_. However, I didn't want to be the one calling all the shots in this thing. If he would rather hang out for a while, I wasn't going to push him. We had plenty of time to be alone.

"Edward? Did you want to go?"

He blinked a few times and turned back to Rose. "Well… that sounds like fun, but I promised Bella that we would work on our Bio homework before I have to get home." He glanced over to me quickly, seeking approval for his impromptu lie. "Maybe another time?"

"Yeah, he's right," I jumped in. "It's due tomorrow, and we really need to get it finished."

"Dude, that sucks," Emmett said. "But like Edward said, we can go another time."

"We'll let you get going then," Rose smiled at me knowingly. "I know how important some of those _homework_ projects can get."

I have no idea if Emmett caught on to her innuendo, but I had absolutely no doubt that she saw right through us. She didn't call me on it, though, which was another reason I loved her. I knew she valued her alone time with Emmett just as much, so she totally understood.

We climbed into Edward's Volvo and waved goodbye to our friends, pulling out of the parking lot and heading to my house.

"I hope you don't mind what I told them," Edward said nervously.

"No," I smiled. "I didn't really want to go yet, either. It would be nice to do some time, but not today."

"That's exactly what I thought." He reached over the center console and took my hand, squeezing it tightly. "So… how did your first day as being part of a couple go over?"

"Pretty good, once all the stupid gossip died down. Oh, did you hear that we aren't the only couple who sprouted from that party?"

"No; who else?"

"Ben and Angela!"

"Ben Cheney? No, I hadn't heard that at all. Good for him. I think he's had a crush on her for a long time."

"I didn't know that. Why hasn't he ever asked her out before now?"

"Well, you know how she's kind of tall?" He took his eyes off the road for a second to glance at me. "I think, and I'm only guessing here, that he was worried she would think he was too short for her or something like that."

"You're kidding me!" I scoffed. "Angela isn't shallow like that! Now, if he liked Jessica or Lauren I could see it, but Angela is really sweet."

"Yeah, she's pretty cool. I'm glad he finally got up the guts to ask her."

"I'm glad you _both_ did," I teased. "I guess we can all thank Emmett's party for that."

He smiled brightly and lifted my hand to his mouth, leaning over slightly to kiss my knuckles. We rode in silence for a few minutes before he cleared his throat anxiously.

"Uh… is your father going to be home yet?"

"No, he doesn't usually get home until closer to five."

"Am I supposed to be at your house? What I mean is, do I need to leave beforehand… or would you like me to stay so that I can finally meet him?"

"He doesn't know that I invited you over. I want you to meet him, but it might make a better first impression if I let him know ahead of time so that he expects you. Would you like to eat dinner with us tomorrow night?"

"As long as you don't think he'll mind, I'd love to."

"Now, I didn't say he wouldn't _mind_," I laughed. "I haven't told him that we're exclusive yet, so I'm sure he's bound to grumble a bit in the beginning. I'm not worried that he'll like you, though."

"Well, what's not to like?" he said with a cocky smirk.

Oh my… he needed to do that more often.

"Exactly."

As we pulled into my drive I noticed a rusted out Volkswagen Rabbit parked in front of the house.

Oh God, not now.

"Bella, why is there a half-naked Quileute boy looking at your truck?"

Fuck. This was not happening to me now.

"Uh… that's Jake. He's the son of my dad's best friend. He likes to think he's an amateur mechanic, so he always offers to work on my truck for free whenever it breaks down."

"Why that's awfully… _generous_ of him." His voice had taken on a funny tone. "And why, may I ask, isn't he wearing a shirt?"

"Because he's a douchebag."

"Oh… okay."

"Come on; let's get this ridiculousness over with." I got out of the car, Edward following me closely. I approached my truck, cringing at the sight of Jacob's cut off jean shorts that belonged on the cover of a gay porn magazine.

"Hey Bella!" he said, standing up away from the engine. "I was just giving the old girl a once-over. I need to get a part first, but it shouldn't take much to fix once it comes in."

"That's great, Jake. Have your dad tell Charlie how much you'll need and I'm sure he'll take care of it. Now, why the hell don't you have a shirt on? It's barely fifty degrees out!"

"I, uh… didn't want to get it dirty. Besides, I just run _hot_, anyway," he said suggestively.

Barf.

I knew the moment he noticed that we weren't alone. His smarmy smile began to falter as he looked past me over my shoulder.

"Oh… who's your friend?"

"Sorry Jake, let me introduce you." I turned and grabbed Edward's hand, pulling him up next to me. "This is Edward Cullen. My boyfriend."

The look on his face was priceless.

"Oh… yeah… uh, hey man. Sorry, I'd shake your hand, but my hands are dirty."

"No problem," Edward replied, putting his arm around me possessively. "Thanks for helping Bella out with her truck. I know she gets really tired of it always breaking down… _all_ the time."

Jake blinked a few times, looking almost like a deer in headlights. "Well, uh… it is an old truck. I'll do my best to make sure we keep her running this time."

"That would be really great, Jason."

"It's Jake."

"Oh. Right, sorry." Edward couldn't have sounded less interested, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

"Listen, I don't want to be rude Jake, but Edward and I have some homework to finish, so we're going to be heading inside. You don't need me for anything, do you?"

"No, uh… I'm just about done here. I'll just clean things up and get going."

"Thanks again, Jake."

"Bye, Bella," he said dejectedly as we walked away.

I let Edward in the front door, closing it behind us.

"I think it's safe to assume that your truck will start running better from now on," Edward said with a huff.

"What do you mean?"

"Bella, that guy was drooling all over you. Don't you think it's a little convenient that your truck keeps breaking down, and the only time he gets to see you is when your truck needs fixing?"

I was absolutely dumbfounded at the suggestion. "You actually think he's rigging it?"

"If not that, then he's doing the bare minimum to get it running for a little bit before breaking down again."

"Don't you think that sounds a little dramatic?"

"You didn't see how he was looking at you."

"Oh my God… Edward, are you _jealous_ of him?"

His face turned beet red and he began sputtering. "No! I just… he… I…" He took a deep breath before dropping his shoulders in defeat. "I guess I am a little bit. But I still think he could do a better job on your truck if he wanted."

"Edward," I sighed, pulling him against me for a tight hug. "Please believe that you have _nothing_ to worry about with Jake. What could I possibly see in him? He's totally repulsive to me."

"I'm sorry, Bella," he said into my hair before he kissed the top of my head, squeezing me tighter. "I don't know what came over me. Just the thought of him even thinking that he had a chance with you made me angry. I've never felt that before."

"I understand. I think if someone skanky like Jessica or Lauren tried to put a move on you now… I would probably lose my shit a little bit, too."

He laughed, and I felt the vibrations of it around my entire body.

"Now," I said, pulling back to smile up at him. "Would you like to see my room?"

He nodded quickly, choking out a quiet "_Yes_."

"Follow me," I said with a smile, grabbing his hand and leading him up the stairs.

.

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* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for you Jake lovers out there, but he ain't gettin no lovin round these parts! Don't expect to see much more, if any, of him.

But isn't little Eddie so cute when he's jealous?


	22. Chapter 22

Okay, folks, this is a long one! (TWSS!) It starts out super sweet, then ends up super sexy!

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"So… this is my room," I said nervously.

I opened the door slowly and motioned Edward inside, closing it again behind us. He took small, tentative steps at first, looking around him in wonder, as if the inside of a girl's bedroom was more fascinating than anything he'd ever dared to dream about.

"It looks like you," he finally said after nearly a minute of silence.

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"I don't know… the way the colors work together, and all of your pictures you have up. I just see a lot of your personality in it, I guess. It's very warm and inviting."

"Thanks."

"Is this your mother, here?" he asked, pointing to a group of photos stuck to my corkboard.

"Yeah, that's her and Phil, my stepdad."

"What's going on in this one?" he chuckled, pointing to an old discolored photo in the center.

"Ah…that's my very favorite picture," I sighed, feeling a smile break out over my face. We both looked at an infant version of me, my little round cheeks absolutely covered in smears of chocolate frosting, my tiny pink tongue licking even more off my fingers. My parents were seated on each side of me, both of their heads thrown back in laughter. "I think my aunt took it, but it could have been my grandma. It was at my first birthday party."

"You were adorable," he laughed, leaning in to look closer. "Good lord, they gave you your own whole cake, didn't they?"

"It was just a little thing, but yeah. They had a bigger cake for the rest of the party. That's when they realized how much I like chocolate. I dug into that thing with my bare hands. I think I ended up wearing more than I ate, though."

"What makes this picture your favorite?"

"It's the last time we were all happy together as a family that I know of. At least, it's the last photographic evidence of it." I looked up to meet his questioning look. "My mother left him not long after this was taken."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I'm sure things were already going downhill for them when this was taken, but when I look at their laughing faces here, I don't think of that. I see this little snippet of joy and it reminds me that no matter how ugly things got later, there was love there, you know? We really were a family, even if it didn't last long enough for me to remember it."

"That's sort of beautiful," Edward whispered. "In a sad way."

"I didn't mean it to sound sad. This picture is one of the few things in the world that can make me happy, no matter how depressed I am. All I have to do is look at that one loving moment, frozen in time, and I remember that the world isn't always crap." I looked up at him again to make sure that he was following me. "It helps knock me out of those 'poor me, why me' days," I smiled.

"Wow, I need one of those," he laughed. "If you love it so much, why don't you have it in a frame? It's getting yellowed like that."

"I know, I keep meaning to, then I forget all about it. I'll buy one someday," I shrugged.

He walked around a bit more, paying close attention to every little thing he noticed. I watched as he flipped through old CDs and movies, stopping every once in a while to say that he had this one too, or that he'd always wanted to see that one.

I kept waiting to feel violated, not used to such close inspection, but all I could manage to feel was touched. Riley couldn't have told you what color my bedspread was, but here Edward was taking a thorough inventory of my life, filing it away in his mind in hopes of getting to know me better.

It made me want to rifle through his underwear drawer just to see what kind he liked.

It made me want to dig up his old report cards just to read what comments the teachers wrote. I bet there were a few that said _Edward is a joy to have in class, but he's so adorable that he's become a distraction_.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked, gesturing to the foot of the bed.

"No, go ahead." I sat down next to him, attempting to look around at my walls through his eyes. Would he think I was an immature baby for having so much purple? Was it too messy? I sniffed the air quickly, making sure there wasn't any dirty laundry funk floating around.

"I like your room," he said finally. "It's really comfortable here. It looks so lived in for you only moving back a few months ago. You should see mine; my mother did all the decorating, so it almost looks like a catalog display rather than a teen boy's room. It's nice, but sometimes it feels a bit… sterile."

"I'd love to see it. Will you show me when I come to dinner this weekend?"

"So you haven't chickened out yet?" he smiled.

"No way. I'll be there."

"I can't wait," he said softly, staring at my lips.

Tilting my head up, I leaned in slightly, but only far enough to let him know he could kiss me. I wanted him to start getting comfortable with the idea of making the first move.

When he lowered his lips to mine, he let out a little hum against my mouth, as if he were tasting his favorite dessert. I kissed him back eagerly, but I shifted too quickly to get closer to him, which caused us to lose our balance and topple back on the bed.

We pulled apart laughing, and the light in his eyes as he looked at me was radiant.

"Well, we're already here. We might as well move up the rest of the way." I started scooting up closer to my pillows at the head of the bed. When I got there, I patted the space next to me. "Come on, loverboy. Let's see how good of a cuddler you are."

He laughed and crawled up after me. "Oh, I can cuddle like nobody's business. I _think_," he laughed. When he had stretched out with his head on the pillow next to me, he reached over and pulled me close, settling my head on that magical sweet spot, where his shoulder met his chest.

I fit there perfectly, as if that spot was made just for me.

His hand began stroking my hair, which felt fucking amazing, causing me to burrow in even closer to him. His warm lips kissed my forehead before he pulled back and sighed contentedly.

"God, this is nice. I love holding you like this." His voice was soft and gentle, more than a whisper, but just as intimate.

"Mmhmmm," I moaned, my eyes rolling back in my head at the feeling of his talented fingers massaging my scalp. After a few minutes his hand moved lower, stroking in long, soothing movements up and down my back.

Oh _God_.

One thing was for certain: Edward gave good cuddle.

Suddenly he began jostling around, digging his other hand into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" I practically whined, hating the interruption.

"This," he smiled, holding up his iPhone. He clicked on the camera and turned it around towards us, holding it up in the air over our heads. We both looked up as he pushed the button, and when he brought it back down he showed me the very first picture of us as a couple.

We were smiling like goofy idiots in the shot, but there was no denying that we were both unbelievably happy.

"There," he said, putting his phone away. "Now I have my _own_ pic to help with my 'poor me, why me' days."

"_That's_ your special picture?"

"Sure. Now, whenever I get upset about anything, I only have to look at it to remember our first cuddle. And then I'll be great, because I'll remember that I have you, so nothing could ever be _that_ bad."

"Are you for real?" I choked out past the rapidly forming lump in my throat.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I'm still discovering how amazing you are."

Before he could say something even sweeter and totally make me bawl like a baby, I lunged at him, covering his mouth with so many kisses I lost count. At first they were small little pecks, but they quickly grew longer and more heated. Edward didn't seem to have any complaints, adjusting our positions smoothly so that he could slide his hands down and grip me around the waist. When I flicked the tip of my tongue against his lips he growled low in his chest before opening wider to me, eventually lowering his hands even more to squeeze and rub my ass while our tongues swirled around each other.

"God… _Bella_," he groaned, talking between the kisses he was trailing down my neck. "It's not enough. I can't get close enough to you." I felt his hand slide down further from my ass to the back of my thigh, tugging and pulling until he had lifted my leg up over his hip. My inner thigh was then pressed right over the growing bulge in his jeans, causing him to buck his hips and hiss loudly between his teeth.

I kissed him even deeper, reaching up to grip his hair at the back of his head, which he seemed to enjoy by the noises he was making. Holding him to me tightly, I started rolling backwards slowly, hoping that he would take the hint and follow.

Not only did Edward follow, but he began to lead.

He rolled over on top of me, sliding his knee between my legs to part them before settling the rest of his weight on me. Loving the feel of him there, I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, moving myself against him.

"Oh fuck!" he gasped, burying his head in my neck as he ground his hips into me, rubbing his swollen erection back and forth.

"Ungh… Edward," I breathed against his skin. "You feel so good, baby." He groaned again when I called him that, and I couldn't resist slipping my hands around him to cup his ass, pulling him into me roughly.

Many of the noises he made after that were incoherent, but it didn't make them any less sexy. Before too long I felt his hand sliding up my shirt, pushing the material out of the way. I helped him pull it up over my head, tossing it in the general vicinity of my clothes hamper. When he was left staring at my bra in wonderment, I yanked one of the cups down to expose my breast. His eyes went wide at the sight of my hardened nipple, and he wasted no time in latching onto it like a starving child.

Holy shit.

There was nothing like the feeling of being surrounded by him… to feel him thrusting against my throbbing clit while he sucked and licked my tightened flesh.

If he was blowing my mind this easily now, how the hell was I going to live through actually having sex with him?

"You're so _hard_," I moaned into his ear before licking the outer shell.

"For you… _only_ for you." He lined himself up more directly and began rocking his hips into mine more forcefully. "Bella… I want you so badly," he panted, sweat forming on his brow. "I can't tell you… how much I think about it… about finally being able to sink inside you."

"Oh _God_!" I groaned.

That was it, goddamn it!

I needed more of him, right that fucking second. Dry humping wasn't enough.

I needed to taste him. I needed it like oxygen.

Grabbing his shoulders, I pushed and shoved until he was off me far enough that I could roll him over onto his back. Without any preamble I straddled his lap, grinding against him a few more times while I kissed him senseless. He moaned and gripped my hips, guiding my movements on him with some sort of latent sex demon powers.

"_Yes_," he hissed. "I can't wait to feel you riding me for real."

"Why?" I couldn't help asking; he was turning me on so much by the way he was talking. Edward was starting to loosen up, and it was driving me crazy.

"Because I am dying to look between us and watch your pussy sliding up and down my dick," he grunted, bucking his hips again as his own thoughts began pushing him closer to the edge.

If I didn't get his pants down soon he was going to make a mess.

I somehow pulled away from the delicious friction, sliding farther back on his thighs so that I could get at the button on his jeans.

"What are you doing?" he asked, the look of shock on his face almost comical. "I didn't mean that we had to do that now… I just wanted to tell you what I was thinking."

"Don't worry," I purred, pulling his zipper down. "I told you that you had a few more things to experience before we got to that. But now, I need to _show_ you what I'm thinking." I pulled at his jeans until they were down to his knees.

Black boxer briefs. Mmmmmmmmm.

And they had an enormous tent situation going on without his jeans to hold him down.

"May I?" I asked, reaching for the elastic band. He gulped loudly, but instead of speaking he merely nodded quickly.

I pulled his underwear down over his hips, unable to hide my groan at the sight of him springing free.

So hard.

So fucking beautiful.

"Now, I just want you to lie back and enjoy," I instructed, reaching out and gripping him around the base. He shuddered at the contact, but I could see the moment he realized what was about to happen.

"Oh God, Bella… are you going to—holy _fuck_!" His question was cut off by the sensation of my slick, wet tongue sliding up the length of his shaft. When I reached the broad tip, I circled it a few times before slowly taking him into my mouth.

"_Oh my god oh my god oh my god_," he whimpered, but he never took his eyes off me while I devoured him. The look on his face was a perfect mixture of shock, pleasure and amazement, and it was an arousing combination.

I took as much of him into my mouth as I could, loving the taste of him. I swirled my tongue around his cock as I began to bob my head up and down, at first slowly, but quickly building up speed.

"Bella… I can't… oh _God_, that's too intense!" I could feel his thighs beginning to shake, so I squeezed them with my hands to let him know it was okay to just enjoy it. He watched me so intently as I picked up my pace, and before long he was reaching out to touch my face gently. His thumbs started brushing over the skin around my now-swollen lips as he watched himself disappearing between them. "That's the sexiest, most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he moaned.

I picked up the pace, squeezing him harder with my mouth as I moved. His shaking had become almost violent, and his moans had turned into desperate pleas for release.

"Baby… please… I'm gonna… oh _fuck_, I'm coming!" He threw his head back and practically howled in pleasure, spurting hot bursts of fluid down the back of my throat. I swallowed everything he had for me, still lapping him up as he began to soften.

When I was sure he was finished, I tucked him away back inside his boxer briefs and crawled up to rest my head on his shoulder again.

"Thank you for letting me do that," I said, kissing his neck.

"You're thanking _me_?" he laughed. "Shouldn't I be thanking _you_? And like… kissing your feet? Erecting statues in your honor?"

"You already erected something in my honor today, and that was _more_ than sufficient," I giggled.

"Very funny," he smirked, before his tone became serious. "What can I do for you, baby? Do you want me to do that to you?"

Oh God, was this guy for real?

"You… uh… you would do that?" For all of my prowess only minutes ago, I instantly felt like the inexperienced one.

"Of course. Why do you sound so shocked?"

"Well… I've always heard that most teenage guys won't do that, so I never expected it."

"Nobody has ever done that for you before?" he asked, concern showing on his face.

"God, don't make it sound like I've been with a ton of people. There was just the one before you, and he thought it was gross."

"Hey, come here." He pulled me closer, kissing me gently. "I wasn't trying to offend you. I have no idea who you were with before you moved here, and honestly, it's not my business. I figured you were experienced, but I don't really want too many gory details. What happened in the past is the past. I don't care about anything before you and me, because that's all it's going to be from now on."

"That sounds good to me," I smiled.

"Now, will you let me try that with you? I'd really like to. I don't think it sounds gross; I think it's sexy as hell."

I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was almost four-thirty. "We can try it sometime, but not today."

"Why not? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do. It's just that my dad will be getting home soon, so I should probably get you out of here."

"But what about you? You just totally rocked my world, and I don't get to give you any payback at all? If you are half as turned on as I was, you've got to be in pain right now."

How right he was. I was swollen and throbbing and my body was begging for release.

But it wasn't worth getting caught.

"It'll have to wait," I said, getting up and crossing the room, looking for a shirt to throw on so that I could go downstairs and start dinner.

"Wow, I feel really selfish right now," he said sadly, standing to pull up his jeans. "I never intended for this to be one-sided today."

"Hey, don't go getting down. I want you to leave here feeling happy after what we just did, not depressed. I'll be fine, I promise."

"I don't think it's possible for me to feel depressed after what you gave me today. I just wish I could return the favor."

"Soon; I promise."

"Alright… but if you ever need me, just let me know. Just think of me as your dedicated student… or apprentice. Whatever you want to call it, as long as it ends up with me making you feel good," he winked.

Goddamn him and his sexy winks.

"I'll remember that," I laughed. "Now you really do have to go, or dinner tomorrow is going to get pretty awkward."

"Alright," he sighed. "Come here, baby." He wrapped his arms around me in another wonderfully tight hug. As he pulled away, he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Thank you for making me the luckiest bastard in the entire world." He kissed me quickly on the lips, and before I could say anything in return, he was already running down the stairs to make a speedy getaway before Charlie came home.

I flopped back down on the bed, feeling the strangest sensation jumping and rolling around in the pit of my stomach.

Fuck.

I was totally in love.

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><p>AN: Uh-oh, Bella! You're falling fast!

Don't worry about Bella getting hers, either. Edward might give her a little assistance in the next chapter. ;-)


	23. Chapter 23

Sorry for the delay. I was trying to finish this last night, but I totally fell asleep while i was writing. I have a bad habit of doing that.

Hopefully you'll think this was worth the wait.

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><p>.<p>

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Dinner was… rough, to say the least.

I hadn't had time to take care of myself after Edward left, so I spent the entire night as a swollen, wet mess. Just when I would start to calm down, my mind would flash to the image of Edward watching me as I sucked him off, and then I would be excited all over again. The entire time I was cooking dinner, his erotic words kept playing back on a loop in my head. It's all I could think about.

Being with him was making it absolutely impossible to keep my mind out of the gutter and my panties dry. I even found myself noticing how much the mushrooms I sliced up for my salad reminded me of Edward's thick, swollen tip… which then led to memories of how soft his skin had been there, and what a pretty shade of purplish pink it was when it was fully erect.

I had a serious case of dick on the brain.

Then I had to sit at the table next to my dad and pretend like I wasn't a quivering mess of desperate teenage hormones while we ate.

On top of that, I spent most of the meal trying to think of a good way to break the news about Edward and his impending dinner visit the following night.

"Anything new going on at school?" he asked as he read over his paper, simply making our normal pointless small talk. It was plain to see that he hadn't expected a real answer when I gave him one.

"Actually… yeah. Remember that guy I went out with on Saturday?"

"The Cullen boy?" he confirmed, his newspaper suddenly forgotten.

"Right… Edward. Well, he and I have decided to… be exclusive." I was trying to avoid the B word, hoping to ease the blow, but Charlie went straight for it.

"So you have a _boyfriend_ now, is that what you're telling me?" He set down his fork and began unbuttoning his top collar button, like even the mere idea of a steady boyfriend was somehow suffocating him.

"Yeah, Dad. That's what I'm telling you."

"God, Bells," he sighed, dropping his head in his hands. "You're just so young."

"_Young_? Dad, I'm eighteen!"

"Don't I know it," he grumbled.

"You knew I had a boyfriend when I lived back in Phoenix. Why are you wigging out about this now?"

"I'm not wigging out. It's just that… well, Phoenix was Phoenix, and I didn't have to watch it unfold there."

"But now that it's your problem, you don't like the idea?" I huffed.

"No. I _never_ liked the idea. I'm your father, for God's sake. I won't like the idea when you're thirty!"

"Well, I'm sorry Dad, but you're gonna have to suck it up at some point. Just because you're happy being alone doesn't mean that I am."

Okay, I'll say it. _Ouch_. That was bitchy.

I blame my out of whack hormones for causing me to snap at him like that.

"I'm sorry," I sighed after a few moments of silence.

"No, I was being a jerk."

"No you weren't. You were just being a typical father who cares about his daughter. _I_ was the jerk. I shouldn't have snapped like that. I just really want you to get to know Edward and like him as much as I do."

"Why do you even care what your old man thinks? Don't most kids these days just do whatever the hell they damn well please?"

"Sure, most of them do. If you had put your foot down, I can't say that I wouldn't have just done it anyway… but that's not what I want."

"Why not?" He looked up at me across the table, and in that moment he looked way older than his forty-two years.

"Because." I paused, swallowing my nervousness. "Edward is… special. I know it's early yet, but I have the feeling that he's not going anywhere for a while, so it would be a lot easier if you just accepted it now."

"Fine," he huffed. "When do I meet this knight in shining armor?"

"He's coming to dinner tomorrow night. I'd like you to be nice to him."

"What did you think I'd do, _shoot_ him?"

"I never know with you, Chief," I joked, standing up to clear our plates. As I went to pick his up, he grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"I'm not happy being alone," he whispered, unable to meet my eye. "It's just what I'm used to."

"Well… maybe it's time you got used to something else. I won't be here forever, you know."

"I can take care of myself, Bells."

"Yeah, but why should you have to? What if there's someone out there who wants the job? Then you can spend your time taking care of them in return instead of yourself."

"You sure you're only eighteen?" He smiled up at me. That had become a standard response from him whenever I would say something that made him realize I wasn't just some brain-dead teenager.

"That's what my forged, illegal documents say," I teased, hugging him quickly before I finished the dishes.

As I cleaned up the kitchen, I couldn't help but be thankful for our awkward dinner conversation. If it had done nothing else, at least it had gotten my mind off Edward's hard-on for five minutes.

Of course, that only served to make me think of it all over again.

I tried to distract myself by watching TV with Charlie, but I could only handle so many hours of the NCIS marathon he was watching on USA. Whenever the commercials would come on he would switch it over to ESPN for the scores, so I was pretty well testosteroned out by about eight thirty.

"I think I'm gonna call it a night," I said, stretching as I stood.

"So early?"

"Yeah, I've still got a little homework to finish, and then I'll probably just read a book until I fall asleep."

"Okay, hun. Goodnight."

"'Night, Dad."

I finished my assignments pretty quickly, but it was with no thanks to Edward.

No matter what I was reading, I couldn't keep myself from getting distracted. I kept hearing his sexy voice panting in my ear, over and over again.

_Bella… I want you so badly_

_I can't wait to feel you riding me for real_

_Baby… please… I'm gonna… oh fuck, I'm coming_

God dammit! How the hell was I supposed to think straight when he was haunting me like that?

I made a trip to the bathroom, doing my best to clean up the slippery mess between my legs before I tried to go to sleep. As I made my way back to my bedroom, I heard my dad's voice carrying up the stairs.

Was someone here? Who could he be talking to?

Curiosity got the better of me, so I inched closer to edge of the landing, sticking my head out to see what I could pick up. It didn't take me long to realize from the one-sided conversation that he was on the phone, but I didn't think it was a work call because he sounded… nervous.

"I hope you don't mind my calling so late," he said apologetically. "I guess I just… didn't want to waste any more time. Does that make sense?" He paused for a moment and listened. "Yeah, I guess with what happened to Harry, you of all people _would_ get it."

Harry?

The only Harry I knew of was Harry Clearwater. He had been one of my dad's closest friends and fishing buddies from the reservation. He'd died of a heart attack back in the spring before I moved up here.

Was he talking to his widow?

"I really appreciate you saying that, Sue."

_Sue_. That was her name. Sue Clearwater. I remember him mentioning her a lot whenever he would talk about people at the reservation, but I had learned to tune it all out because it usually meant the topic of Jake would come up at some point.

Well, well, well. My dad was pining for one of his buddies' widows.

No wonder he hadn't made a move on her before now. He probably felt guilty as hell, like he was betraying his friend.

"Well, if you don't think it would be too weird or anything… I was wondering if you would maybe like to get a bite to eat some time? I totally understand if you aren't ready—" He paused as if she had cut him off. "Oh, really? Sunday sounds great… Now, you don't have to go to the trouble to cook for me, we can go out… oh, okay. Yeah, I guess a quiet dinner at home does sound nice… Your place at six? Yeah, I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

I tiptoed back into my room, feeling unbelievably proud of Charlie. From the sounds of things, Sue was just waiting for a chance at the eligible police chief.

I grabbed my phone and fired off a quick text message to Edward

_Guess what? Charlie finally asked somebody out! I'm so happy for him._

Less than a minute later he replied.

_Good for him. Wonder what took him so long._

_Maybe he's even shyer than you ;-) _

_Ha ha very funny. I think I did a pretty good job of overcoming my shyness earlier, wouldn't you say?_

And that was all it took for me to be completely turned on again. Even the smallest reminder of our afternoon together was making me throb.

_Baby, that was way more than pretty good. I haven't been able to get you out of my mind all night._

_I know the feeling. I've had the doofiest grin on my face ever since I came home._

Just talking to him about it was getting me hot. I knew that I should probably steer the conversation in a cleaner direction, but the constant pulsing between my legs had other plans.

_Did you enjoy it?_

_Are you kidding me? I've been hard all night, replaying it over and over in my mind_.

Oh shit. Didn't he know what his talking like that was doing to me?

Maybe he didn't. Well, two could play that game.

_Stop! You don't know how wet I've been, and hearing about you getting hard only makes it worse._

_Oh God. Really? Are you wet for me right now?_

_Yes! I'm dying here. I keep hearing your sexy voice saying those naughty things in my ear and it's driving me crazy!_

_Fuck. Now I'm hard again._

Jesus Christ, the boy was killing me without even trying. I wanted so badly to reach down and take care of things, but I didn't want our discussion to stop. It would take me forever to text with one hand, not to mention that it would probably kill the mood, too.

If there was only some way we could keep talking while I… oh God. Could I _do_ that? I'd never let Riley anywhere near me taking care of myself; I had always been too embarrassed. He was always so prissy about things; I just figured it would be yet another thing that grossed him out. Actually, he was only prissy about things that didn't directly involve him getting off.

Edward, on the other hand…

Something told me that Edward would love it.

Maybe he would get so turned on hearing me that he would join in, too.

Oh _God_. Just imagining hearing him panting and moaning through the phone was making my stomach do somersaults.

Before I had a chance to stop myself, I sent off another text.

_Is it too late for me to call you?_

_No, go ahead. I have the phone on vibrate, so it shouldn't wake up my parents. _

I peeked out into the hall before I locked my door, checking to make sure that Charlie had gone to bed. I didn't want to risk him walking by and hearing me moan.

I climbed into bed and turned out the light, wanting to surround myself with nothing but Edward. As soon as I was settled, I picked up the phone and dialed his number.

"Hey you," he answered on the first ring, and I swear to God my clit twitched.

"Hey," I replied, much more breathy than I'd intended.

"I'm glad you called. I was hoping to talk to you again tonight."

"Any reason?"

"Just… can't get you out of my head. Like I mentioned earlier."

"Yeah, you mentioned a _few_ things earlier. I just had to call to see if that last one was true."

"What one?" he asked, playing innocent, but I could hear his voice hitch as he spoke.

"I want to know if you're really hard for me right now."

"I told you I was."

"No, you texted it. I want to hear you _say_ it." He was quiet for a moment, so I kept going. "I need to hear you say it, Edward. I need your sexy voice. I _need_ you."

"You need me, baby?" His voice had dropped down to a breathy whisper. "Tell me what you need."

"I need to hear you," I practically whined, my free hand roaming over my tightening nipple. "I need you to make this hurting stop."

"_Fuck_! I wish I was there with you, baby."

"What would you do if you were?"

"I'd cuddle with you again."

"That's all?"

"Well, we'd have to be naked. I'm fucking dying to feel you pressed against my body without anything between us."

"Mmm… that sounds nice," I moaned, slipping my hand between my thighs. "What would you do after that?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yessss," I hissed, sinking two fingers between my folds and circling lightly around my swollen clitoris.

"Well… I always wanted to, but especially after today… I really want to…"

"What?"

His voice dropped lower, his breathing becoming choppier. "I need to lick your pussy."

"Oh _God_," I moaned, swirling my fingers faster. "You really want to?"

"Fuck yes," he grunted. "It's all I can think about. I want to bury my face between your legs and lap you up. I want to make you come all over my tongue."

I couldn't control my groan at his words. Hearing his delicious voice say such wicked things was making me insane. I panted loudly into the phone as I worked my slick, fevered flesh.

"Are you— oh my God, Bella, are you _touching_ yourself?" He sounded absolutely frantic.

"Edward… I _need_ you," I whimpered.

"Fuck, baby, don't _say_ that. I'm gonna get arrested breaking down your door with a raging boner."

"Are you hard for me now?"

"Of _course_! I have been since you told me you were wet. Now it's getting downright painful."

"Will you touch it?"

"Now? You… you want to hear me?"

"_God yes_," I gasped into the phone. "I'm so turned on I could pass out right now. Just the thought of you wrapping your hand around your cock and stroking it is about to make me come."

"Fuck, say that again." I heard rustling in the background, which I assumed was him freeing himself from his underwear.

"What part? _Cock_?"

"Yessss," he groaned. "Do you want this cock, Bella?"

"So much… want to feel it… sinking inside me. Want to sit on it… want you to… pound it into me from behind." I was so close. Just knowing that he was joining in with me was shoving me towards the edge.

"Holy _fuck_!" he gritted through his teeth. "Are you wet for me, baby?"

"My fingers are drenched. I'm so close."

"Let me hear. Put the phone down there so I can hear how wet you are."

I almost told him no, usually embarrassed by the sounds my body made, but I was quickly learning that Edward loved it _all_.

I spread my legs wider, lowering my cell phone until it was hovering right over where I was letting my fingers do the walking. I moved them more rapidly, clearly able to hear the wet sucking noises of my body accepting the digits as I slid them inside.

When I brought the phone back up to my ear, the only thing I could hear was Edward's ragged breathing. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I need to fuck you. Hard. And often."

"Oh fuck, _yesssss_…." I was just about done for. I could tell from the way his breathing was picking up and the sounds of motion in the background that he was getting close, too. He started whimpering and talking faster, the sound of his voice completely desperate.

"I've wanted you for so fucking long… need you… fuck, Bella I crave you like heroin. I love everything about you so much, but I'm going to die if I don't feel that beautiful wet pussy around me soon."

"I feel the same way about you!" I cried, my body beginning to shudder. "I want to take my time getting to know you, but at the same time I wanna just grab your cock and shout 'mine'."

"Fuck yeah, baby… it's your cock. It's all yours. And that pussy is fucking _mine_," he growled.

"Oh God, I'm gonna come…"

"Tell me that pussy is mine, Bella," he moaned. "I need to hear you say it."

"Yours, Edward!" I wailed, exploding around my fingers and seeing stars behind my eyes. "All yours!'

"_Fuck_!" He made a deep guttural sound, and I could just picture the thick spurts of liquid as they hit his stomach.

We both lied there for a moment, our panting and gasping the only sound. When I finally had the energy to speak, it was simply a breathless, "_Wow_."

"Exactly," he chuckled.

"Imagine what that will be like when we do it for real."

"Believe me, I already do… too much."

"I doubt it's more than I do, Edward. And there's no such thing as too much."

We talked about mundane things for a few more minutes, both of our bodies too exhausted for anything else. When I let out a loud yawn, he followed it up with one of his own.

"I suppose I should let you get to sleep," I said, my own eyes feeling heavy. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"No, thank _you_. That was sexy as hell. Any time you want to call me up and let me hear that, I'm game."

"I'll remember that," I laughed. "Goodnight, baby." _I love you_.

"Goodnight, my beautiful girl. I'll see you in the morning."

"I can't wait." _I love you_.

"Bye," he whispered.

"Bye." _I love you_.

I hit the button to end the call and placed it on the bedside table. Rolling onto my side, I stared at my phone with a huge smile on my face. As I drifted off to sleep, only one thought kept repeating in my mind.

_I love you. _

.

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><p>AN: Do any of you remember when you first realized you were in love? I do. I was sick with worry over telling him, because I didn't think he'd say it back.

But I got all worked up over nothing. Not only did he say it back, but he married me, and he still tells me he loves me every single day.


	24. Chapter 24

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The next day after school, I had Edward drive me to the grocery store on the way home so that I could pick up ingredients for dinner. I still had a few things at home that I could have made, but since it was my first time cooking for Edward I really wanted to make him my spaghetti and garlic bread. It wasn't anything special, but it was my favorite thing to cook and I wanted to share that with him.

Plus, Charlie loved it. I didn't think it would hurt to butter him up a little bit to make sure he stayed in a good mood over dinner.

As we walked around the store with our grocery cart, slowly adding more things to buy, I couldn't help but notice how _official_ we looked. I mean, to anyone who didn't know us, they might even mistake us for a young married couple who had been together for a few years already.

Instead of making me cringe, the thought made those damn butterflies come back.

"I think that's all I need for dinner," I said, looking down into the cart. "Would you be terribly offended if I just bought a pie for dessert?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Edward laughed.

"What? I'd rather make my own dessert, but I don't have a lot of time on a weekday."

"You're already going to so much trouble for me. Why would I mind a store-bought pie? You could slap a Twix bar down on the table and call it dessert and I'd be just fine."

I could feel my cheeks heating as I looked up at him in embarrassment. "I guess I just… wanted to impress you with my cooking," I said shyly.

He chuckled lightly and put his arm around my waist, pulling me into to his side. "Bella… I don't think I could handle much more of your impressing me." He leaned closer and whispered, "Yesterday just about did me in." I laughed and shoved at him, starting to walk away when he stopped me. "No, really… I don't need any more convincing on what a perfect girlfriend you are."

"I'm not perfect," I said, rolling my eyes at him. "Not by a long shot."

"But you're perfect for _me_," he said softly, bending over to kiss me gently on the lips.

God damn fucking _swoon_!

"Alright," I gasped as he pulled away, breathless for so many reasons at that moment. "We need to get the hell out of here before I pass out and they call the paramedics."

"If you pass out, I can always just give you mouth to mouth," he smirked.

"That is _so_ not helping right now!"

I ran over to the refrigerated section and grabbed a French Silk pie for dessert, ignoring the fluttering in my heart as we made our way to the checkout counter. We argued briefly over who would pay for the food until I finally caved and let him buy the pie, which he claimed would make him feel like he was actually contributing to dinner instead of just showing up to eat.

As soon as we got back to my house I started browning the meat for my sauce and boiling a huge pot of water for the noodles.

"Is there something I can do to help?" Edward asked as I was preheating the oven for the garlic bread.

"Well, is there anything you're good at in the kitchen?" I didn't mean it as suggestive as it sounded, but with the way our minds were around each other lately, he was bound to take it that way.

"I don't know. You haven't let me find that out yet," he purred, backing me up against the counter. "But I'd be happy to find out any time you like." He leaned over and kissed the base of my neck, sending shivers all the way down my spine.

"Now, don't go starting something we can't finish. I'll end up burning dinner and Charlie will be cranky."

"Okay, I'll be good," he sighed, thinking for a moment before adding, "My mom always makes me cut up the vegetables for different things she makes."

"Then I'll have you start the salad; how does that sound?"

"Lead the way," he smiled.

Since I had limited counter space I sat him down at the kitchen table with a cutting board and a knife.

"Here, work on this cucumber and green pepper, and when that's done I'll have you cut up a tomato. When you're done with each one you can throw them in this big bowl, and we'll mix in the lettuce when at the end."

"Sure thing, boss lady," he said, saluting me and throwing me a wink. I laughed and gave him my own one finger salute before returning to my sauce.

We worked together like that for a while, talking comfortably about school and our friends. We both agreed that it might be fun to have a couples night soon so that we could all hang out, and Edward suggested maybe Emmett's basement again.

"You know, he's got that awesome rec room. We could watch a movie or play some games."

"That sounds fun, but don't you think they'd want to go out? Like to Port Angeles or something?"

"Well, I'm sure they would, but Emmett hardly ever has any spending cash because of the way his parents are, and I know it embarrasses him whenever Rose pays."

"So not only can he not get a car, but he doesn't get an allowance, either?"

"Exactly," he frowned. "They'll buy him just about anything he asks for, which is how he got that awesome rec room to begin with and the home gym we use when we work out, but they don't like to let him off the leash if they can help it."

"Man, what is their _deal_?" I asked, stopping my stirring to take a quick taste.

"I don't know," Edward sighed, slicing up a ripe tomato. "I think they have this crazy idea that if they are way overprotective, there's no way he can ever get hurt."

"Uh, have they _seen_ him? I mean, he _is_ their son. The boy is massive! What could ever hurt him?"

"Well… Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma."

I blinked a few times, allowing what he'd said to sink in completely.

"Are you telling me that Emmett has _cancer_?" I dropped my spoon on the counter and sat down next to him at the table.

"He _did_… but not anymore."

I reached out and grabbed his hand. "What happened?"

I watched as Edward thought back, and I could actually see his eyes clouding over with the pain of the memory.

"It was near the end of fifth grade, so we must have been around eleven. I remember one day after gym class, Emmett started having trouble breathing and wheezing real bad, but everybody just thought that he had asthma so the doctor gave him an inhaler and told him to take it easy. Then he started losing weight like crazy and not wanting to eat anything. When they finally found out what it was, his parents just felt horrible for not catching it sooner."

"There's no way they could have known."

"I know, but they have always blamed themselves. Anyway, he had to have surgery and chemo. He was all bald and scrawny and pasty that summer, too tired to do anything."

"God, that's so hard to picture," I said, envisioning the brawny young man that I knew now.

"Tell me about it!" He was quiet for a moment before looking up at me. "I can't tell you what that was like, thinking that my best friend could die any day. There were days I hated him for it… for scaring me like that. I still feel guilty about it."

"I can imagine," I whispered, reaching up and stroking his cheek. "But they were able to get it all?"

"Yeah, thank God. He's made a full recovery. At first he was so frail and weak, but the moment he found out that he was going to make it, it was like someone just flipped a switch. He started forcing himself to get more physical and build up his strength, exercising and lifting weights. It's like he thought that the stronger he got, the less chance he had of ever being weak like that again. He was practically obsessed until he started dating Rose. She's calmed him down a lot."

"I'm glad."

"So anyway, all of that has made his parents extremely overprotective. They've spent the last seven years completely paranoid that something is going to happen to their little boy, while all _he_ wants to do is forget that it ever happened. Jeez, you should have heard the fights they had about him starting football!" Edward rolled his eyes. "I think they would have covered him in bubble wrap if he'd have let them."

"I had no idea about any of this. Alice and Rose haven't said a word."

"Emmett doesn't like to talk about it. _Ever_. It's become the norm to just avoid the subject so much that they probably haven't even thought to mention it."

"Well, I won't ever bring it up." I squeezed his hand again. "Thank you for trusting me with that."

"Of course," he said, his voice thick and dry from the painful memories. "Now that I can finally talk to you," he smiled slowly, "I feel like I could tell you anything."

"Same here," I whispered.

_I love you_.

I leaned over and kissed him softly, letting my body say what my voice would not.

_I love you. I love you. I love you._

.

.

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><p>AN: Okay, I had to cut this in half because it was getting way longer than I'd intended. So tune in next time for Spaghetti with Charlie!


	25. Chapter 25

Okay, let's see how spaghetti with Charlie goes over!

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><p>.<p>

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"Wow, something smells good," Charlie said as he walked through the door almost an hour later. As he was hanging up his jacket, he noticed the both of us setting the table. "Hello there," he said with a much warmer smile than I expected to see. Holding out his hand, he approached us. "You must be this Edward I've heard so much about."

Edward set down the silverware he was holding and turned to him nervously, taking his hand. "Yes sir. Chief. Mr. Swan, sir."

"Charlie will be fine, Edward," he chuckled.

I took that opportunity to jump in. "Dad, this is Edward Cullen. Edward, this is my dad, if you hadn't already figured that out."

"It's very nice to meet you, sir… uh, Charlie."

"Same here," he smiled, shaking his hand firmly. When he let go, he turned to face me. "So Bells, how long 'til dinner's on? I was gonna run and change out of my uniform."

"I was just getting ready to start plating, so hurry up."

"Back in a flash." He hurried up the stairs to his room, leaving me to inspect how traumatized Edward was.

"You doin' okay?" I whispered.

"So far," he sighed. "I never knew he was so big."

"What do you mean?"

"He just seems really… imposing."

"I think you're actually taller by an inch or two. He had to look up at you."

"That can't be right."

"I swear," I laughed.

"Then why did I feel so tiny next to him?"

"It was probably the gun on his shoulder."

"No, I didn't even notice that." He turned to look at me. "It must just be the fact that he's your dad. I really want him to like me."

"Then just be yourself. He can smell a kiss-ass a mile away."

"So I can't be polite? Bella, that's how I was raised."

"Trust me, there is a huge difference between being polite and being a kiss-ass. As long as you aren't fake about anything, I'm sure you'll get along fine. Now sit down and hand me your plate."

I began dishing out noodles and sauce, happy to hear Charlie coming back down the stairs only a minute later. I waited until he took his seat before handing him his plate.

"Here you go, Dad. Did you want a beer?"

"That sounds great."

I went back into the kitchen and returned a moment later, handing him the beer and a can of Pepsi to Edward. Once we were all seated, I passed around the salad that Edward had helped with and the platter of garlic bread.

"This all looks wonderful," Edward said, smiling at me.

"Thank you," I blushed. "But I can't take credit for the salad. That looks like some expert chopping there, Edward."

"Well, I considered making it my career, but chopping for hire just wasn't as lucrative as I'd hoped. So now it's only a hobby," he said sadly, causing me to burst into laughter.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll be greatly missed in the salad industry," I snorted.

"My God," Charlie sighed, "He's just as big of a smart-ass as you are, isn't he, Bells?"

"Of course! Why do you think I like him so much?"

Both of our faces went up in flames, but Charlie just shook his head and laughed, leaning over his plate to take a bite. We were all quiet while we ate, tasting our dinner for the first time.

Thank God it wasn't horrible. I was worried that I might have put in too much garlic or not enough salt, but it seemed to be okay.

"This is really delicious!" Edward moaned, slurping up a noodle. I watched as he flicked his tongue out of the corner of his mouth to get the drop of sauce that was left there.

"Thank you," I smiled shyly, hoping that he meant it.

"He's right, Bella. I think this is your best spaghetti yet." Wow. High praise from Charlie. After a few more minutes of eating, my dad turned his attention towards our guest. "So tell me, Edward… have you decided where you're going to school next year?"

"Nothing official yet, sir. I mean… Charlie. There have been a few places I've looked into, but I'll probably end up going to U-Dub. Going away to school sounds nice, but I don't really want to be _too_ far away. If there's ever an emergency, I'd like to be able to just jump in the car to come home rather than needing a plane ticket. Three hours is far enough."

"That makes sense," he nodded. "That's the same reason Bella was considering U-Dub."

"Really?" Edward shot me a questioning glance, to which I simply smiled and nodded, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.

Charlie continued with his questions, not even noticing our exchange. "Where were some of the other schools you considered?"

"There was a school up in Alaska that I looked into."

"_Alaska_? Why so far?"

"Well, we have family up there and we go there once or twice a year, so I figured that it wouldn't feel quite so far away since I was familiar with the area."

"Hmm," my dad grunted around a large bite of garlic bread, nodding that he understood.

"So, Bella tells me that you enjoy fishing." Edward smiled as Charlie's eyes lit up, thrilled to be on one of his favorite topics.

"Oh, I enjoy it once in a while."

"Dad!" I huffed. "That is the biggest understatement in the world!" I looked over to Edward. "He _lives_ to fish. He's out there whenever he has any free time at all."

"Do you do much fishing, Edward?"

"I can't say that I do, sir. I have been out a few times, but not since I was younger."

"Probably thought it was boring, huh?"

"At first I did. When I was little, I thought they were supposed to be biting all the time and making it exciting. I got tired of just sitting there. It took me a while before I realized that it was all about relaxing and enjoying nature."

"A good six pack never hurt, either," my dad winked. "Keep that in mind when you're old enough."

"I'll do that," Edward chuckled.

"Do you follow any sports?"

"Not closely. I keep my eye on the score whenever Seattle is playing, but that's about it."

"Well, at least your priorities are straight," Charlie nodded. He didn't care that Edward wasn't crazy about sports, as long as he wasn't rooting for the wrong team.

The conversation continued on at a comfortable pace, and I was extremely proud of Charlie for making Edward feel welcome. When we were finished with our pie he excused himself, heading into the living room to watch the game. Edward offered to help me clear the table, and as we rinsed off the dishes he took that opportunity to talk to me in private.

"How do you think that went?" he whispered.

"Better than I thought it would. He seems to like you well enough, and that's all I had hoped for."

He glanced at the clock when we were finished and sighed. "I suppose I had better get going."

"You can't stay?"

"I still have some homework to finish, and I just know my mother is dying for a report on how tonight went."

"Okay," I smiled. "I'll walk you out." We grabbed our coats and headed towards the door. "I'm going to walk Edward to his car, Dad," I called into the living room.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah, I have some homework to finish. Thank you for having me. It was nice to meet you."

"Same here, Edward," Charlie said, turning to face us. "I'm sure I'll see you around again soon."

He glanced at me and smiled before looking back at Charlie. "I'm sure you will, sir."

I followed him out to his car, looking back at the house to make sure that we weren't being watched. "Thank you for this, Edward. I feel so much better now that you two know each other."

"I do, too. It's like it's more official or something. Is that crazy?"

"No, not at all. That's exactly what I was thinking."

He opened up his car door and turned around to look at me. "Now you just have to meet _my_ parents."

"Sunday, right?"

"That's right," he smiled. "Still not backing out?"

"No way. If you can face Charlie, I can face your parents."

"But I have two instead of one. That's double the nosey questions."

"True, but my dad has a gun, and gun trumps extra parent any day."

"Oh, is that how it works?" he laughed, leaning down to kiss me softly. "Can I call you later?" he whispered against my lips.

"Of course," I smiled. "I like hearing your voice before I go to sleep."

"Me, too. I just wish you were lying there next to me instead of on the phone. I like having you as close to me as possible for as long as I can."

"I feel the same way." _And I love you_.

"I'm sorry, but I really should get going. The faster I get my work done, the faster I can call you."

"Then what are you waiting for? Get the hell out of here." I shoved him into his car, making him laugh again. He stopped me from backing away, pulling me to him for another searing kiss.

"Goodbye for now, my beautiful girl."

"Bye. I'll talk to you soon."

_And I fucking love you so much it hurts!_

I watched as he pulled out of the drive, waving to him before he drove away. I walked slowly back into the house, wondering how the hell I was going to keep from blurting out the way I felt when it was clearly much too early for such heavy words. I didn't want to drive him away and I didn't want to make him feel like he had to say it back if he wasn't ready.

When I got back inside I hung up my coat and headed for the stairs, intending to read or something to calm my nerves, but Charlie intercepted me.

"Heading upstairs already?"

"Yeah," I replied, turning around to face him. "Thought I might read or something. Thanks for tonight, Dad. I appreciate it."

"No problem. He's a good kid." I went to turn back around, but he said something else that startled me. "He's the one, isn't he?"

"I think so, but it's early yet," I blushed. "How can you tell?"

"Because he looks at you like you hung the moon, and you look at him the exact same way." He grew quiet for a moment before adding, "Your mother never looked at me that way. Not once."

"Maybe Sue will."

He looked up at me with big eyes, startled that I knew his little secret. "Hell, who knows? Maybe she will."

"'Night, Dad."

"'Night, kiddo."

I had climbed a few steps before he called up to me one more time. "Does that boy know yet?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, feeling my heart drop into my stomach. "No," I said shakily.

"Why not?"

"Because it's still too early. I don't want to send him packing."

"Well, just because something happens fast, doesn't mean that it didn't happen. Don't keep that boy waiting too long. Chances are he feels exactly like you do and is terrified to let you know."

"Thanks, Dad. I'll keep that in mind."

I headed upstairs feeling stranger than ever, having just received love advice from my father, who only _yesterday_ had been terrified at the mere thought of me dating anyone.

Fathers were _weird_ sometimes.

.

.


	26. Chapter 26

Sorry for the delay, peeps. Had a family emergency that threw me off my game, but I hope this makes up for it. ;-)

We're about to really earn our M rating here.

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><p>.<p>

.

The rest of the week flew by with tons of flirting and stolen kisses. We didn't have much alone time thanks to Charlie being home in the afternoons for the next few days, but Edward still came in for a while when he could. We would do homework together or watch the game with Charlie for a bit before he had to go home for dinner.

It was becoming downright comfortable.

There were times I felt like we had been hanging out forever… as if we had always been close. We could talk on the phone for hours without realizing it, always having more to say. It would blow my mind every time I had to remind myself that we had only started really talking less than a week ago.

Edward was quickly becoming the best friend I had ever had.

But that still didn't change the fact that I constantly wanted to rip his clothes off and attack him.

The first opportunity to be alone again didn't present itself until Saturday night. We had managed to arrange a movie night at Emmett's house like Edward had suggested, and all three of us couples got together to cuddle in the dark and argue over what movies we wanted to watch.

I don't know why it mattered; everything we put in eventually got ignored anyway. We were either talking and laughing over it or paying way more attention to our significant others.

It had started out innocently enough. Unlike Alice and Rose, I was actually _trying_ to watch the movie, cuddled up next to Edward on the couch… until he took my hand in the dark. It was a simple, sweet gesture that made me feel all warm and cozy inside, but before long he began stroking the tips of his fingers inside my palm in slow, lazy circles.

I don't know what it was about that touch, but it sent flames straight through me. I felt like he was touching me in all of my most intimate places at once, and he was only holding my hand. With each drag of his skin against my own, a violent shiver would run straight down my spine, settling between my legs and making me throb.

"Uh… sorry guys, but we need to get going," I blurted out, sitting up suddenly.

"But _why_?" Alice whined. "The movie's not even over yet!"

"I lost track of the time… and I promised my dad that I wouldn't be out too late." I glanced over at Edward, who was looking at me with concern. As far as he knew, I still had over two hours before I needed to be home.

"Dude, that sucks," Jasper mumbled around a mouthful of Cheetos.

Emmett didn't have anything to add, since he had already fallen asleep with his head in Rosalie's lap while she had been running her fingers through his hair, but Rose merely smiled at me knowingly.

"Bella, you never said anything about leaving so—"

"Give her a break, Alice," Rose interrupted, shooting her a look.

Alice blinked a few times before looking back at me, then over at Edward. "Oh… uh, yeah. Sure… when you gotta go, you gotta go I guess."

"Thanks for understanding. Sorry to bail so early." I stood up, happy to notice that Edward was at my side in an instant. We made our way to the stairs, but when we were halfway up I heard Alice's voice following after me.

"You better call me tomorrow!"

"Uh huh," I said noncommittally. I knew she would be fishing for details and I was making no promises.

We slipped quietly out the side door by the garage, and just as Edward started to ask me if something was wrong, I shoved him up against the side of the house and covered his lips with my own. He responded quickly, letting out that irresistible whimper and wrapping his large hands around my waist to pull me even tighter against him.

I kissed him until I was lightheaded, sliding my tongue over and around his, loving the way he tasted. Our bodies squeezed together more firmly, rubbing back and forth until I could feel his hardness growing against my stomach.

I broke away from him with a loud gasp. "Take me somewhere!"

"Oh God… where?" he panted, kissing and nipping at the base of my neck.

"Anywhere we can be alone… I've missed you so much this week... I need to touch you."

Edward thought for a moment. "I think I know a place," he said quickly, grabbing my arm and dragging me to the car.

We drove for a while, heading outside of town. I had no idea where we were going, but as long as we were alone together I couldn't care less. After about ten minutes he pulled off the main road, traveling slowly through the woods until he reached what looked like a small meadow.

"Wow, what is this place?" I asked, looking out the window.

"Emmett and I found it when we were little. We were in Cub Scouts together, and we used to go hiking all the time." He paused and looked at me. "Before he got sick, that is. After that, we never really made the time for it. I remembered it was here one day a few years ago and started coming out here by myself sometimes. It's a great place to get away from the world for a while."

"I can imagine. It's not that far from the highway, but it feels like we're in the middle of nowhere."

"You should see this place in the spring," he smiled. "The field fills up with all of these wildflowers."

"It sounds beautiful," I sighed.

Edward reached out and grabbed my chin, turning me to face him. "_You're_ beautiful."

My inner smartass wanted to groan at how cheesy that sounded, but the teen girl in me won out.

_Awwwwwwww!_

"Thank you," I whispered. He leaned over and kissed me sweetly, making my lips tingle as he pulled away. "What made you think to bring me out here?"

"Well, you said you wanted to be alone. This was the first place that came to mind."

"So… now that you have me out here, what do you intend to do with me?"

"I have absolutely no idea," he laughed, kissing me again. After a moment he pulled back. "Oh, wait!" Before I knew it, he had jumped out and popped the trunk, disappearing behind the back of the car. I heard some rustling around, then the loud slam of the trunk being closed. The next thing I knew, he was opening my door and holding out a folded up blanket. "Want to watch the stars with me?"

"Won't it be cold?"

"Yeah, but… I thought we could keep each other warm." The smile he gave me was the most amazing mixture of innocence and seduction.

"Sounds good to me," I laughed, reaching out to take his offered hand.

We walked a small distance from the car before he spread the blanket down on the ground. Stretching out next to each other, we looked up at the night sky for a while in silence.

"Bella," he finally sighed, turning to face me. "I can't tell you how happy I am with you. I know we've only been together for a week, but… it's been the best week of my life."

"I feel the same way. It's like I've known you forever." After another minute of silence went by, I scooted closer until we were pressed against each other. "I'm a little chilly," I said with a smile. "Think you can warm me up?"

"I can sure as hell try," he growled, rolling us both over until he had me pinned beneath him.

The weight of him on top of me felt amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I couldn't help letting out a deep moan and wrapping my legs around his waist. We kissed deeply, picking up where we had left off by the garage as if we'd never left.

"_Bella_!" he gasped between kisses. "Oh God, Bella… I want you so much!" He pushed and rubbed himself against me as we moved, making me nearly dizzy with need.

"Oh… oh yes," I panted, feeling his hands roaming over my body until he had shoved my shirt out of the way to kiss and bite my nipples through the lace of my bra.

"I _need_, Bella," he groaned, slipping his hands into the waist of my jeans and unbuttoning them. "I need to make you feel good. Let me make you come."

I didn't say anything; I couldn't. I was too choked up by all the emotions rocketing through me at once. I was so in love with this boy that it hurt, but I also wanted him so badly at that moment that I couldn't see straight. So I simply nodded and lifted my hips, allowing him to pull my jeans down my legs.

"All the way off?" I finally squeaked out when he started yanking at my shoes.

"Yes," he grunted. "I want to see you. I don't want anything in the way." He propped himself up on his side next to me, watching with wonder as his fingers slipped inside my slick folds. "_Fuck_!" He clenched his eyes shut for a second, taking a few deep breaths. "You're so _wet_ for me," he gritted through his teeth.

He kissed me again, sliding his tongue in my mouth at the same time he slid two long fingers inside me. I moaned loudly, unable to stop myself from grinding into his hand.

"Does that feel good?" he whispered against my lips, pumping his fingers harder a few times before he couldn't resist sitting up higher to watch more closely. I felt him slide them back out slowly as he watched, only to use those same fingers to spread me wide open. "Oh _God,_" he groaned, hunching over me until his ragged breath was in my ear. "You're pussy is so fucking beautiful, baby."

"Really?"

"_Fuck_ yes!" He panted a few times, his head buried in my neck as he continued to stroke my flesh slowly. "Can I… can I kiss you there?"

"You mean now? _Here_?" I had been so close, my body beginning to shake, but his request shoved me back from the edge.

"_Please_, Bella… you promised me that I could… and I need to taste you so badly!"

"Okay," I said timidly, trying to hide my embarrassment. The smile that broke out on his face was enormous. As he repositioned himself down between my legs, I couldn't help but give him one last reminder. "I've never done this before… so don't ask me if you're doing it right; I have no idea."

"Relax… I just want to make you feel good," he soothed. I watched as he spread me wide again, leaning forward to give me the one experience I'd never had. The closer he got, the harder it was to keep my panicked thoughts from racing.

_Oh God, did I shave today? _

_What if he thinks it stinks?_

_What if he thinks it tastes disgusting?_

_What if he hates it so much that he's too traumatized to ever go near a vagina again? _

Every silly worry I could think of flew right out the window at the first stroke of his tongue on my wet flesh.

"Holy shit!" I cried out and bucked my hips, causing him to stop for a moment.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, a worried tone in his voice.

"No!" I gasped. "God, Edward… keep going."

He groaned loudly and buried his face between my legs, lapping at me with long, broad strokes until I thought I might pass out from the pleasure. He took his time exploring different things, seeing what made me respond more. Tight, firm circles around my clit with the tip of his tongue had my legs shaking and squeezing the sides of his head, while sliding his tongue inside me had me grabbing handfuls of his hair and pulling.

"Close… so fucking close!"

Edward growled against me, sending the most delicious vibrations through my body, then redoubled his efforts until I was a shaking, screaming mess. The orgasm that tore through me was more intense than anything I had ever felt before in my entire life, and it seemed to go on forever. When I was finally done, Edward collapsed against my stomach, peppering my abdomen with lazy kisses.

I was gasping and panting, trying to catch my breath as I ran my fingers through his hair. "Oh my God, Edward… that was… that was so fucking… holy shit!"

"I did okay?" he asked shyly, looking up at me for reassurance.

"That was _so_ much more than fucking _okay_. That was… unbelievable. How did you know what to do?" I knew he was a natural, but this was insane.

He blushed and looked away. "I've, uh… seen my fair share of porn, I guess."

"Well, you're a quick study," I giggled. As we laid there together in the dark, I knew I just had to ask. "Was that okay… for you? I mean… did you mind doing that?"

"Are you kidding me? That was so fucking hot!" He kissed my stomach a few more times before looking up at me with fire in his eyes. "You taste so fucking good, baby. You were driving me crazy with all of that screaming… I almost came. I'm still so hard it hurts."

"Oh! Well, come here then," I said, pulling him up and shoving him over until he was lying on his back.

"No, Bella you don't have to—"

"Like hell I don't," I interrupted. "There's no way I could see you that turned on and not try to help out." Actually, just the thought of him being so hard for me had me getting hot all over again. I straddled his lap, still naked from the waist down as I unzipped his jeans and bit back a whimper when his erection sprang free.

"Oh _God_, Bella," he moaned, gripping onto my bare hips almost painfully. "I can't take seeing you like that… on top of me with your pants off. It's too much."

"Do you want me like this, Edward?"

"Fuck… you don't know how much I've fantasized about you riding me. I can't wait until you think we're ready."

At that very moment, something clicked inside me.

The look on his face was so honest, so accepting. He was laying himself bare before me, owning his need… yet still perfectly fine with letting me set the pace.

I wanted him.

_Now_.

I had wanted to wait for just the perfect time and just the perfect place, but there was nowhere more perfect than right now while he was here with me. We had the rest of our lives to learn each other, but tonight was when we would start.

"Do you have a condom?" I whispered.

Edward's eyes grew as big as saucers before he started scrambling for the jeans that were shoved down around his hips. "Pocket," he grunted, shifting and moving until he produced a small foil packet with trembling fingers.

I took it from him, looking him in the eye as I went to tear it open. "Is this okay now?" I asked, giving him one last chance to back out if he wasn't ready.

"Oh God." He gulped loudly, then nodded his head for me to continue.

I ripped open the foil and placed the slippery circle of latex around the tip of his cock, slowly unrolling it down his length.

"Why are we doing this now?" Edward asked, his voice shaking as I rose above him to place him at my entrance. His eyes were trained between my legs, just waiting for me to move. "I thought you wanted to wait."

"I wanted to wait for the right time… and I've never needed you more than right now. What could be more right than that?"

"I can't believe this is really happening," he gasped, watching as I started to sink down on him slowly. I threw my head back as I took him in, feeling his girth stretching me as I moved.

It was fucking glorious.

"_Edward_," I moaned, loving the feel of him inside me. When he was in all the way to the hilt I sat still for a moment, just savoring it.

"_Jesusfuckingchrist_!" he shouted, digging his fingers into my hips. "It's so… God, Bella, I never knew… so tight… so _good_."

I leaned over and kissed him gently, trying to calm him down, but the shift in angles caused us both to moan and hum. "Move with me, Edward," I whispered, rocking into him. I slid back on his length a bit, only to sink down again more firmly.

"Oh God!" he grunted, bucking his hips sharply in return. "I'm not going to last very long. It's too much!"

"I'm not worried about that… just enjoy it, baby. We can work on stamina later."

"But I want you to come, too."

"Then touch me," I moaned, leaning back and bringing his hand between us to where we were joined. He didn't need to be told what to do after that, slipping his thumb against my clit to rub it in tight circles as I started to grind against him harder. "_Yessss_," I hissed.

"Oh fuck!" Edward sounded almost scared the closer he got, as if he was afraid that his impending orgasm might very well kill him. "I'm so deep inside you… I don't ever want to leave." He began pumping his hips faster underneath me, rubbing me just the right way as he moved.

I felt the tremors starting in my legs before they began to spread through my entire body. "_Edward_," I whimpered. "I'm almost there."

"God, baby… yes! Come for me, please!"

Just hearing him begging me like that was the sexiest thing I had ever heard. It sent me toppling over the edge, and I eagerly took him right over with me, milking him dry.

"Fuck, I can feel you!" he cried, pounding up into me almost painfully as we both found our release. It was my turn to collapse on his chest, letting him hold me there in the moonlight before the stickiness between our bodies reminded us that we needed to move and clean up.

Neither of us spoke above a whisper after that when we returned to the car, afraid to ruin the magic that we felt between us that beautiful night under the stars.

"Bella, that was… amazing doesn't begin to describe it." His voice was so soft and reverent; I swear it almost made me cry. "Thank you."

"No, Edward." I stopped him, leaning over to kiss him sweetly. "Thank _you_ for saving that for me. I'm so happy that you thought I was worth sharing it with."

"You're more than worth it, Bella," he smiled, pulling back to kiss my hand. "You're my beautiful girl. I want this for as long as you'll have me."

I didn't say a word for fear of crying, so I kissed him again and laid my head on his shoulder as he drove me home… the words I _really_ wanted to say to him playing over and over again in my mind.

_Forever, Edward. How does forever sound? _

_._

_._


	27. Chapter 27

So? Where you guys surprised at the meadow lovin? So was Bella!

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><p>.<p>

.

On Sunday afternoon I returned home from the grocery store to find that not only had I forgotten my cell phone at home on the kitchen counter, but that I also had five missed calls from Alice.

Groaning loudly, I put away the biscuit dough and butter that I had bought to make monkey bread, then stomped upstairs to face my doom.

"Where the hell have you been?" she answered on the first ring. "I've been calling you all _day_!"

"I was only gone for an hour, Alice."

"Oh. Well… it _felt_ like all day."

"What did you want?" I was only stalling. I knew damn well what she wanted.

"Spill it, girl."

I sighed loudly, sitting on the edge of my bed. "I already told you. My lips are sealed."

"Oh come _on_!" she whined. "I don't expect blow by blow details, but give me something to work with, here! I _know_ you two did something."

"So what if we did? What does it matter to you?" It came out harsher than I'd intended, and I could practically hear her flinch over the phone.

"I'm sorry, I just… I'm just so happy for you guys… and I'm dying to know if you're working out as well as we had all hoped you would." Her voice had gotten so tiny that I instantly felt like an asshole for snapping at her.

"Alice, I'm sorry if I sounded harsh. It's just that I still don't feel comfortable sharing too much personal stuff yet. I'm not a prude about this kind of thing; I just don't want to betray Edward's trust. Let us have our privacy for now, okay? I'm sure that before long we'll both be talking openly with you guys, but I need to know what's safe to talk about and what isn't."

"I understand. I guess I'm just curious if we picked the right guy for your list, you know? I can't wait to jump up and down and say 'I told you so.'"

"Well, I can definitely confirm that one. You told me so. Edward's perfect for me. In fact… he's just fucking perfect." I felt the heat rising in my face at my admission, but I knew I had to talk to someone about how I was feeling.

"Yay! Told you so! Told you so!" I could tell from the stomping sounds in the background that she was literally jumping up and down.

"Are you about done?"

"For now, I guess," she laughed. "So are you telling me that you're falling for him?"

"Alice, I don't know what to do. I'm falling so hard for him that I can't even believe it myself."

"Why do you make it sound like a bad thing? Isn't that the best possible outcome?"

"Yeah, _eventually_. But this fast? Won't that scare him away? Every time I'm with him I have to fight to keep from telling him."

"Bella," she sighed. "I understand your concern, but you have to think about this. Edward's not damaged. He's not afraid of commitment. And from the looks of things, he's just as crazy about you as you are about him. I'm sure he would be thrilled to hear how you feel."

"Dad said that he's probably too nervous to admit that he feels the same way."

"Wow… can't say I ever pictured the Chief so insightful. But I gotta say, I think he's right on this one. You're the experienced one here. Edward is following your lead and playing the rest by ear. That boy has probably been in love with you for months, but he doesn't want you to think he's only saying it because you're his first… well, everything."

"I think that's part of the problem. I'm his first. Emphasis on the _first_. That's going to lead to seconds and thirds… and so on."

"You don't think he could cheat on you?"

"No, nothing like that. I trust him. But I'm not naïve enough to think that two kids who hook up in high school have any chance of staying together in this day and age."

"True, the odds aren't the best, but things are different here. It's a small town. People marry their high school sweethearts and have families and settle down."

"And then they resent them for the rest of their lives for getting in the way of their dreams."

"Wow, aren't we a Negative Nancy today?" Alice jabbed. "You can't put your mom and dad's issues on yourself. If you go into something expecting the worst, that's all you're ever going to get."

"I'm not trying to expect the worst; I'm just trying to be practical. It doesn't make sense for me to love him so soon. And I do, Alice," I choked back a sob. "I love him so much it hurts!"

"Then tell him, Bella. Give him the chance to surprise you."

"I'm scared," I whispered. "I don't want to lose him. Just the thought of ever being without him terrifies me."

"Tell him that, too."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Because it is. He's not the kind of guy you play games with or try to outsmart. He isn't looking to hit it and quit it. Everything that you're feeling, he's feeling, too… for the very first time. He's probably really overwhelmed by it all. Cut him some slack."

"You're right," I sighed. "I need to just suck it up and tell him."

"Exactly."

"I should probably get going. I still have a few things to do before Edward picks me up for dinner with his parents."

"Ooh, is that tonight?"

"Yeah, and I was already nervous about it. Now I need to think about telling him I love him, too," I groaned.

"Come on, Bella. You have balls of steel and you know it. There's nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it."

"Thanks for the pep talk," I laughed. "And thanks for listening, Alice."

"Anytime."

We said our goodbyes and I let her go, heading back downstairs to think about things while I baked my monkey bread. I wanted to take it over to Edward's house for dinner, but I had to make two batches because I knew that if Charlie smelled all of that melted cinnamon and there was none left here to eat, he would be extremely grouchy no matter _how_ good his date went.

Ew! Okay, I had to remember to never _ever_ picture my dad getting it on.

I mean, I wished him the best of luck and all that, but I didn't want to think about it.

I couldn't believe that we both had big, important dates on the same night. I was meeting my boyfriend's parents for the first time while Charlie was getting back in that saddle.

God, ew! Stop going there, brain!

I was just taking my second batch of bread out of the oven when I was startled by my phone ringing behind me on the counter.

_Whatta man, whatta man, whatta man, whatta mighty good man_

I chuckled at the new ringtone I'd selected, knowing when I chose it that it fit him perfectly.

"Hey baby," I smiled into the phone. No matter how nervous the idea of telling him how I felt made me, it didn't change the fact that talking to Edward made my heart sing.

"Hey yourself," he purred. Okay, maybe he just said it normally, but his voice was so sexy and velvety to me that it sounded like a purr. "That was some email you sent me today," he laughed.

"Oh, did you like that? Yeah, I thought you might appreciate it after last night." When I woke up that morning I had emailed him the link to the video for _I Just Had Sex_ by The Lonely Island, with nothing but the message, "Feel like singing this today?" It was a goofy and silly song, but I had really wanted to make him laugh and let him know that it was okay to talk about it and be lighthearted.

"Yeah, it was great. Except you made me hum that damn thing all day."

"I'm sure your good mood had nothing to do with it."

"Well, you might have a point there. I _have_ had a smile plastered on my face all day."

"I hope I had something to do with that," I teased.

"You had _everything_ to do with that," he growled.

"What time are you picking me up?"

"That's why I was calling. Is six-thirty okay? That will give us time to get back to my house and make the introductions before dinner at seven."

"That will be fine. I should let you go, though, or I won't have time to get cleaned up."

"Alright, but don't go overboard; we're not doing anything fancy."

"I know, I just want to look my best."

"Okay… but you always look perfect to me."

"God, stop saying those things or I'll never get off the phone with you and I'll be late!"

"I'll let you go for now, but I'll be there soon."

"Can't wait!"

"Bye, sweetheart."

"Bye," I whispered. He ended the call, and I felt it tugging at my heartstrings. My body craved contact with him so badly that it even hurt to stop talking on the phone.

God… I really had it bad.

.

.

* * *

><p>AN: I totally love that Lonely Island song. It's my ringtone for the hubs. Although after this chap, I just might have to go digging up some Salt n' Pepa!


	28. Chapter 28

Okay, time for dinner with the Cullens!

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><p>.<p>

.

Later that night, as we pulled into Edward's driveway, I swear I could hear my jaw hitting the floor.

"This is your _house_?" I gasped, turning back to him before he got out of the car. It didn't look like something one family lived in. Hell, it didn't look like something _five_ families lived in.

"Yeah… is something wrong?"

"It's just so… _big_!" I couldn't keep my voice from climbing higher as I spoke. "I mean, I knew you had money, but this is ridiculous."

"Wait a minute," he stopped me before my head could explode. "_I_ don't have money, they do. I am fully aware that I have done nothing to earn this lifestyle other than being born to the right parents. I get an allowance, just like you do. Okay?"

"I just feel so… insignificant in front of all this wealth. I feel like I should have dressed better, or brought something more high class. How could you let me bring monkey bread?" I knew I was sounding like a panicked idiot, but that's exactly how I was starting to feel.

"Bella, it's just my mom and dad. They're not snobs. And I know for a fact that my dad loves monkey bread." He smiled at me, immediately calming my nerves. "Listen, I know the house can seem a little intimidating and opulent when you first take it in, but give it a chance. It was my mother's dream project ever since she was studying architecture in college. They worked on this place for years together before we finally moved in."

"I'm sorry I wigged out," I whispered. "I guess I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? There's no way you could be this perfect."

"I'm not. I have a crippling fear of talking to beautiful girls who get paired up with me in biology." He shot me a wink, causing me to giggle.

"You're talking to me now," I smiled.

"True, but if you weren't so patient with me, this might have never happened with us."

"That's a scary thought."

"Tell me about it; I thank my lucky stars every night that I have you in my life." He leaned over and kissed me gently, making my heart leap.

"Well, I'm just glad that you didn't puke on me, because I don't know if I could have gotten over that so quickly."

"Oh God," he groaned, turning beet red. "You heard about that?"

"Before the party."

"And you still let me kiss you? Wow, you're braver than I thought," he chuckled.

"I had faith in you," I said quietly, kissing him again.

"I'm happy to hear it," he hummed against my lips. "So please, just have faith in my family. They're going to love you just as much as— uh… as if you were their own." His words faltered a bit and he got a frightened look in his eye, but it was gone before I could mention it. I just chalked it up to jitters from bringing his girlfriend home for the first time, which made me feel like an inconsiderate ass for not thinking of his feelings before I lost it over the size of his house.

I told myself to get a grip. They couldn't be all bad, or Edward wouldn't be so sweet and thoughtful.

Hoping it would reassure him, I smiled brightly and let him walk me to the front door. Once we were inside, he took my coat and gave me a quick tour of the main floor before leading me upstairs to another level where the kitchen and dining room were.

The house was fucking _immaculate_, to say the least, but it was decorated with so much warmth and love that I immediately felt comfortable. I scanned over the family photos that were on the wall as we walked up the stairs and felt a brief pang of loss in my chest for what I never really had. There were so many happy moments captured in time there in front of me that I realized Edward easily could have thought I was strange to cherish one old ratty picture when he had so many to choose from. It was just another reason I knew he was special.

He just got me.

When I had almost reached the landing I stopped and turned back quickly, a small photo catching my eye.

"Oh my God," I chuckled. "That's the spelling bee, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he grumbled. "I hate that picture."

A tiny nine year old Edward was staring back at me, holding up a huge trophy with the biggest smile on his face. The little suit he was wearing was even more adorable than I had pictured, and his smile made me wonder how every girl in his class hadn't fallen all over him by then.

"Aw, how can you hate it?" I cooed. "You were so _cute_!"

"You wouldn't be saying that if they'd taken that picture five minutes later."

"I get it," I sighed. "It's a bad reminder. But now you have to stop hating it, because it's about the most precious thing I've ever seen."

"I'll tolerate it, how about that?"

"Deal."

We both laughed as we rounded the corner, and I had to bite back another gasp at the most professional looking kitchen I'd ever seen. A beautiful woman with shoulder length auburn hair was pulling a large pan out of the oven, and when her brilliant green eyes looked up to meet mine over the countertop, I had absolutely no doubt who she was.

"Oh! You startled me," she said, holding her hand over her chest as she ran around the counter to get a better look at me. "I didn't hear you two come in!"

"Sorry about that," Edward apologized. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. "Mom, may I introduce—"

"Wait!" she interrupted. "Where's your father?"

"Uh… his study, I guess."

"Carlisle!" she yelled. "I'm so sorry, dear," she said, patting me on the forearm. "I know he wouldn't want to miss this. _Carlisle_!" she shouted, running to the doorway. I heard the sound of a masculine voice saying something in return, but I couldn't tell what it was. "No, _not_ five more minutes! Edward's back, so get your ass out here, mister!"

"Well, why didn't you say so?" I heard more clearly just as the most handsome middle aged man in the universe stepped into the room. He looked like an older, blonder, blue-eyed Edward. I glanced quickly between father and son and couldn't help thinking that if Edward aged anything like his parents then he was only going to get better.

How was that even _possible_?

"Alright, sweetheart," his mother said, dragging his father over to stand next to her in front of us. "Please continue."

"As I was _saying_," he laughed, squeezing me to him more tightly. "Mom, Dad… I'd like you to meet Bella. Bella, these are my parents: Carlisle and Esme."

"It's nice to finally meet you Dr. Cullen… Mrs. Cullen." I held out my hand nervously for them to shake.

"None of that _Dr_. business." His dad waved off the statement like a bug that was in his face. "Please, call me Carlisle. No need to call me Dr. unless you are in the ER for something."

"Same goes for me," his mother added. "Call me Esme."

"Okay," I smiled, already feeling welcomed. "Thank you so much for inviting me. Your home is so lovely."

"It's a little big though, isn't it?" Carlisle said with a wink. "I think I get lost about three times a week in my own house."

"Oh Carlisle, _stop_," Esme scolded. "You were the one who helped me plan it."

"Yes, I know, darling. But sometimes what looks good on paper can come out feeling way over the top. There are people at work who think I live in a public library, for God's sake."

"Oh, knock it off. You love our house, so don't even try to pretend otherwise." Esme turned to look at me. "I'm sorry Bella, he's only teasing. He does that to everyone on their first time here."

"Just pointing out the elephant in the room, dear," he smiled.

"Whatever," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "What have you got there, Bella?" Esme asked, nodding at the large foil-covered plate I was holding.

"Oh, well… I wanted to make something to bring… you know, for dinner… as a thank you." I stumbled over my words, starting to feel silly again for what I'd chosen to make, until Edward jumped in and rescued me.

"Bella made monkey bread, Dad!"

Carlisle got this sort of glazed, dreamy look in his eye for a moment before he turned to Edward and said, "You have my permission to marry her, son."

We all laughed as Esme took the plate from me. "Why don't you come into the kitchen with me while they set the table, Bella, and we'll find some place to put this until later? This isn't safe out here near him." I followed her into the other room, watching as she uncovered the dish and took a closer look at it. "Oh my, this is just beautiful! I don't think we've had any decent monkey bread in years. I've never had the patience to make it; the few times I've tried have all ended up badly."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," I smiled.

"No, it's true! The last time, we needed the fire extinguisher." I couldn't help laughing as she described an incident where all of her cinnamon glaze had boiled over the edge of the Bundt pan onto the bottom of the oven, quickly catching on fire. As I calmed down from my fit of giggles, I noticed that she was staring at me closely. "You're such a beautiful girl," Esme said wistfully.

"Thank you."

"I can see why Edward is so taken with you."

"Well I'm… quite taken with him, too," I replied, unable to stop my blush.

"Yes, I can see that, as well." She sighed loudly before leaning back against the counter and crossing her arms. "Listen, Bella…"

_Oh God, here it comes. She's going to tell me that she knows I touched her precious little baby last night, that I'm a dirty slut who never should have come here._

"I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done with Edward."

"Excuse me?" I knew she couldn't be thanking me for sleeping with her son, so I figured that I better stop freaking out and pay attention.

"I know that he can be pretty awkward around girls… especially girls he likes, but he's been so different this past week… like he's coming out of his shell. I know that wouldn't have happened without your help." She reached up and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I guess I'm just happy that someone finally realizes how special my son is."

Touched by her honesty, I give her some of mine. "Believe me, I know. I find more things I like about him every day."

"Good," she nodded, collecting herself. "That's good. Well, I guess we should get this food out there before they start whining. Care to help me carry in a few dishes?"

"Of course." I grabbed a large salad bowl and a basket of breadsticks and followed Esme into the dining room.

"I hope you don't mind lasagna," she said as she set the large casserole pan on the table. "I figured since you made spaghetti for Edward last week that Italian was a safe choice."

"Yes, I love it, thank you."

"Is there any Italian in your family, Bella?" Carlisle asked as we all dished up our meal.

"Dad!" Edward jumped in protectively. "What difference does it make?"

"No difference at all. I just wondered since her name is Isabella."

"Yes, actually," I answered, "On my mother's side. Her mother's parents were from Sicily."

"Oh really? That's interesting."

"Well, I don't know about interesting. I never knew them, and the rest of me is just good old-fashioned North American mutt- a little bit of everything."

"I like that," Carlisle nodded, chewing on his food thoughtfully.

Once our conversation got flowing, I realized that it was very similar to our dinner with Charlie… only it was much more laid back and comfortable. They asked about my college plans and seemed genuinely happy that I might be attending the same school as Edward in the fall. I gave them some background info on me, including a glossed over version of why I decided to switch schools in my senior year.

"And you two have science together?" Carlisle asked before shoveling in his third helping of monkey bread.

"Biology, Dad," Edward corrected him.

"Ah, that's right! Lab partners," he said with a wink, causing Edward to cough and blush. "I remember your first day at school, Bella, now that I think about it."

"_Dad_," Edward groaned.

"This one came home all moon-eyed and jabbering about his new lab partner, 'the prettiest girl he'd ever seen' I think he said."

"Kill me now," Edward mumbled beside me.

I reached over underneath the table and squeezed his thigh lightly to let him know that he didn't need to feel embarrassed. "I think that's sweet," I said, smiling over at my adorable boyfriend.

"Me too," sighed Esme.

After dinner I helped clear the table, but Esme shooed us out of the kitchen when she started loading up the dishwasher. "Go show her around, Edward. I'm sure there are more interesting things for our guest to do than help me clean."

"Okay. Thanks, Mom." He smiled brightly and took my hand, leading me up yet another flight of stairs. We walked down a dark hallway until we came to a closed door at the very end.

"Where are we?" I asked, feeling like I needed to whisper in the dark.

Edward opened the door and flicked on the light switch before turning back to look down at me. When our eyes met, I noticed a new fire in his gaze that hadn't been there earlier during dinner.

"So… this is my room."

.

.

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><p>Ohhhh yeah... wonder what Eddie's got planned for his bedroom?<p>

Anyone else have any baking disasters? That really happened to me with the monkey bread catching on fire. Scared the crap out of me!


	29. Chapter 29

Wow, you guys have had your fair share of baking disasters! Thank you for sharing so many with me, I have never laughed so hard while reading my reviews.

I also never realized how many of you have never heard of monkey bread. If you are curious, I posted a link on my author page to a really good recipe with step by step pics and instructions. It's very close to the recipe I have always used.

Alrighty... now back to Edward's room!

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"This is your _bedroom_?" I spun around slowly, unable to process the luxury surrounding me.

"Yeah," he answered with a shrug, closing the door behind us.

"It's so… wow."

"I told you, it looks like a catalog ad, doesn't it? Totally sterile."

"No, it's beautiful." I looked around at the elegant decorations and the tasteful throw pillows on his leather couch. He had a fucking _leather couch_ in his room. "I think it's all so lovely… but I agree that I don't see much of _you_ here. Where are the posters and all the video game strategy guides?"

"Well, I've never really been a huge fan of posters, _but_…" Edward smiled widely and walked over to the oak bookshelf, pointing to the perfectly organized and alphabetized how-to guides.

"God, you're a neat freak, aren't you?" I laughed.

"No. Well… maybe a little bit." He blushed, and I couldn't resist going over and hugging him tightly.

"Hey, that's nothing to be embarrassed about, as long as you don't expect me to be the same way."

"Never!" he scoffed. "I have no interest in dating someone who's a carbon copy of me. I love all of our differences… I love learning all of your little quirks." He leaned down and pecked me on the cheek. "I also love that you don't mind that I have some, too."

"_Mind_? I love it! I was starting to think that there was no way you could be real; you were too perfect. Believe it or not, having a few flaws makes you even sexier to me."

"Oh _really_?" he drawled out, finishing with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. I felt his hands sliding down my back until he was cupping my ass, pulling me up against him.

"Really," I whispered, pulling him down for a searing kiss. Edward wasted no time in seeking entrance with the tip of his tongue, and before I knew it I was feeling lightheaded from how sensual the kiss had become.

The little shit made me swoon. Literally!

"Wait a minute," I gasped, stumbling against him as I pulled away, needing a moment to collect myself before I threw him down and had my way with him while his parents were just downstairs.

"Is something wrong?" he panted.

"I just… can't believe how good you're getting at that."

"Oh," he said with a smile. "That's good though, right?"

"Yeah, except when your parents are downstairs! What if your mom busts in on us?"

"Bella, she wouldn't do that," he laughed. "She's always respected my privacy."

"Yeah, but that was before you were alone in your room with your girlfriend."

"I'm not saying she won't try to check in on us, but she'll be more subtle than that."

"Even so… maybe we shouldn't jump right into things yet." I pulled away reluctantly and began to walk around his room, looking for anything to distract me from his delicious lips. After a few minutes I turned back to him and pouted. "How am I supposed to get inside your head when you don't have anything personal in here?"

"Oh, well if personal is what you want, let me welcome you to my inner sanctum." He grabbed my hand and took me over to a large computer desk in the corner. I watched as he pulled out the padded office chair and sat down, then swiveled it around and smiled up at me. "Come on," he said, patting his lap.

I sat down on his thigh, squealing slightly as he spun us back around to face the desk. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist to anchor me to him while he fired up his laptop.

"Why aren't you using that computer?" I asked, pointing to the intimidating desktop with all the blinking lights and gizmos plugged into it.

"That's really just for gaming and some of my graphic design projects. The hard drive is so full of programs that I don't really like to waste any space on frivolous stuff."

"So you have an extra computer just for fun?" I couldn't really make sense of it in my mind. I begged for almost a year before my mother had finally broken down and bought me my one meager laptop that was already dying a slow death.

"Yeah, but that's not really uncommon for computer geeks like me. Some guys have three or four monitors going at once with every little extra thing you could imagine… along with two or three laptops."

"That sounds so excessive."

"It certainly can be, but sometimes it's necessary depending on what they like to do with them."

"So what do you like to do with yours?"

"Well, I like to use my laptop for storing all of my pictures and video files. I also use it for all of my internet browsing and networking. By the way, why aren't you on Facebook?"

"Ugh, you too?" I groaned.

"What do you mean?"

"People have been asking me that for years, but I just can't get into the idea."

"What's not to get into? It's really user-friendly, and it's a great way to keep in touch with friends and family."

"I know; believe me, I've heard it all before. I guess it just weirds me out, the thought of so many people spying on what I'm doing. Plus, ever since I saw _The Social Network_, I've just wanted to punch Mark Zuckerberg in the junk. If I join now, it's like he wins."

"Ha! I never thought of it like that," he laughed. "But even his ex-girlfriend who hated him had joined by the end of the movie."

"Yeah, and that shows what a sellout she was. Here's this total asshole who shits on you publicly so bad that you can't bear to be in the same room with him ever again, and yet you have no problem joining his website because it's what everyone else is doing? Pfft, sellout."

"Wow, you've really given this a lot of thought."

"Fucking Zuckerberg," I grumbled.

"Well, if you can put aside the megalomaniac who designed it, Facebook can be lots of fun. As for the privacy stuff, it all depends on what you put into it. If you post every personal thing that ever happened to you, then you _are_ kind of inviting the world into your life. But if you just think about what you put out there and set up your preferences right, there's rarely any problems."

I crossed my arms over my chest and arched an eyebrow. "You're not going to drop it, are you?"

He looked up at me over his sexy glasses with the biggest pair of puppy dog eyes I had ever seen. "I was just… so excited to change my status to _in a relationship_, but it feels one-sided if I can't share it with you. Every time I'm on there I keep finding things I want to send you, but then I remember that I can't." He went in for the kill after that, sticking out his perfect bottom lip in a pout that would put any toddler to shame.

How was I supposed to defend myself against that?

"How many times has that look gotten you what you wanted?" I asked.

"I've lost count." He winked quickly before sticking his lip out even farther and batting his long lashes.

"Alright, fine!" I huffed, throwing my hands up in frustration. "Next time you come over you can help me set up an account, okay?"

"_Really_?" He broke into the widest grin I'd ever seen in my life. When I nodded my confirmation, he let out a triumphant whoop and squeezed me tightly. "It's a date, baby."

"Alright, alright, you've won," I sighed dramatically. "The least you can do is show me how it works. Give me a mini Facebook tour."

"Okay, but I should really send out a quick email first."

"To who?"

"To Mark Zuckerberg; I need to let him know that he just won."

"You little shit!" I laughed, slapping him on the arm. "Don't push it, mister. I haven't officially joined yet."

"Alright, I'll be good," he chuckled, opening up his laptop. When I noticed what picture was on his desktop my heart jumped into my throat.

"Oh my God, it's us!" He had uploaded the picture he took of us on my bed and made it his background image.

"Well, yeah," he said quietly, the tips of his ears turning pink. "Now every time I turn on my computer it makes me smile."

I couldn't say anything after that, so I just leaned down and kissed him softly.

When we came up for air, he pulled up his Facebook page and showed me around, teaching me how to navigate through the site easily. I had to hand it to him; Edward had actually managed to get me interested.

After about ten minutes of letting me goof around and type out messages to our friends from his account, I heard a loud stomping making its way up the stairs.

"That'll be Mom," Edward sighed.

"But she's so loud. I thought you said she'd be subtle."

"I said she'd be subtle about checking up on us. That's her way of announcing that she's coming. She doesn't want to actually _catch_ us doing anything; she just wants to keep us from going too far."

"Ah… I guess that makes sense."

A moment later, a light tap sounded at the door. "Edward?" Her muffled voice called out.

"It's open." He swiveled the chair around to face her, but wouldn't allow me to move off his lap to another chair.

"Hey, kids," she said, glancing around the room. "Are you guys okay up here? Did you need anything to drink?"

"No, we're good," he replied, and I could hear that he was biting back a chuckle.

"Whatcha doin?" Her eyes landed on us in the chair before moving on again quickly.

"I was just showing Bella around Facebook a bit. I think I've got her convinced to join."

"Oh, really?" Her face lit up. "That's wonderful! You'll have to friend me when you do."

"Uh… okay," I said slowly, feeling like I was in an episode of Twilight Zone.

"Well, I'll let you get back to it, then." She smiled at us before backing out of the room, pulling the door with her. I saw her stop and think for a moment, glancing at the door then back at us, before she shrugged and closed it the rest of the way.

"That should buy us at least another thirty minutes, if not longer," Edward laughed.

"I can't believe she didn't leave the door open."

"It was close there for a minute, but I think she's trying to show me that she trusts me."

"And you intend on abusing that trust, don't you?"

"_Duh_," he said with a smirk before pulling my head down to his for another searing kiss. When I pulled away, I blurted out the one thing that I couldn't stop thinking.

"Your mom's on Facebook?"

"Yeah. She's totally addicted to Farmville."

"She seems pretty cool. They both do, actually."

"I'm glad you like them. I was hoping you would all get along."

"Me too." I kissed him again before turning back to his computer. "So, what else do you have on this thing?"

"I have a ton of pictures that I've scanned and uploaded. Here, let me show you a few from when we were all younger." He started flipping through a slideshow of photos for me, pulling them from a bunch of different and perfectly organized files. Each folder had a title, like _Sixth Grade Field Trip_ or _Cub Scouts 2005_. There were some of him and Emmett in their uniforms receiving badges, and a few later ones that showed Edward sitting next to a very pale, very bald little Emmett.

"That's when he was sick," he whispered.

"He was lucky to have you there for him." It was so easy to see the brotherly love that they shared, even at such a young age.

"He was my best friend. Where else would I have been?" The fact that he said it so matter-of-factly, as if there had never been any other option in his mind, just proved what a loving person he was.

"A lot of kids might have bailed over something so scary and intense."

He simply shrugged and looked back at the computer, as if there was nothing further to be discussed. He wasn't one of those kids and that was that.

We continued looking through folders for a while until I noticed that there was a certain folder he kept avoiding.

"What's that one?" I asked, already forming my suspicions. "The one marked _Homework_."

"Homework, obviously," he said with a nervous hitch in his voice.

"I call bullshit," I said after a minute of staring him down. "You've labeled all of your other folders way more specifically than that. If that was really homework, you would have a folder for each class."

He turned beet red, knowing that he was busted.

"You might as well just admit that it's porn now, before I tickle you until you pee yourself." When he continued to resist me I made good on my promise, attacking his sides with my fingertips.

"Stop!" he laughed. "God, I give up! Just stop!"

I relented, looking down at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Let me see."

"No way!"

"Come on… I want to see what you like." I leaned closer and whispered against his lips, "Show me what turns you on." I flicked the tip of my tongue over his mouth before pulling away.

"Fuck," he grunted. "Anything you do turns me on, baby."

"Good, but you know that's not what I'm talking about. You said last night that you have watched a lot. I want to see some of the things that taught you so well."

He gulped loudly and slowly nodded, opening up the file to reveal literally _hundreds_ of pictures and video clips.

"Wow!" I gasped, leaning over closer to get a better look at some of the tiny thumbnails. "What are some of your favorites?"

"Uh… I like this one a lot." He went straight to a specific file and double clicked it to open it up. It was a still photo of a naked, busty brunette with her head thrown back in what looked like ecstasy as a man buried his face between her legs. She was grabbing his hair and pulling him farther into her, totally owning her lusty need.

"That's… kind of hot," I whispered.

"You're not offended?"

"No, not at all. This is actually kind of sensual… artistic even. Maybe it's because it's in black and white, or maybe it's because she isn't some plastic looking Barbie doll. She looks like a real woman. Her boobs even look real. Spectacular, but real."

Edward blinked at me a few times, dumbfounded.

"What?" I finally asked, feeling awkward under his scrutiny.

"I just can't believe that you just listed off every single thing I love about that picture."

"Really?"

"Yeah; I can't stand watching those cookie cutter bleach blondes with boobs so huge that they look like they'll rip through their skin. Everything about them looks so synthetic… I've never understood the appeal."

"Show me more," I said, smiling wickedly.

He clicked through a few more, every single one of them depicting a beautiful woman receiving oral.

"I'm starting to detect a theme here," I chuckled, suddenly feeling very warm at the memory of him doing that exact thing to me the night before.

"I've always been fascinated by it," he said with a blush. "It just looks so raw… so passionate."

"Is that all you have? More of the same?"

"No, these are just some of my favorites."

"Show me a few others, then." I couldn't believe how eager I was. Edward sharing this dirty side of himself with me was driving me crazy.

"Here's a clip I like," he said, pressing play and turning the sound way down. It was a top-down view of a man getting a blow job, as if the guy on the receiving end was holding the camera. It was fairly amateur looking in quality, but that almost made it easier to picture yourself as the lucky guy in question.

We both watched in silence while the young woman bobbed and slurped up and down his length, the only sound in the room our ragged breathing. I shifted around on his lap a bit to get more comfortable, spreading my legs open until they dangled over the sides of his thighs. I leaned back against his chest to rest my head on his shoulder as we watched, and there was no mistaking the prominent bulge that was digging into my lower back.

"I watched this a lot after you did that to me last week," he said with a gravelly voice. I could feel the hot bursts of air against my neck as he spoke.

"Did you enjoy it?" I couldn't resist asking.

"I fucking _loved_ it," he grunted, shifting his hips against me. "Now every time I watch this clip I feel the heat of your mouth on me… the wetness of your tongue." He started trailing his fingers up and down my arms, sending tingles running through my entire body with every touch.

"I loved doing that to you," I admitted. "You were so sexy, and you tasted so good."

"_Fuck_," he gritted through his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment as he breathed roughly through his nose. "I keep thinking about how you tasted, too," he whispered, flicking his tongue against the side of my neck. "I want to do that again and again."

"I just might let you," I purred, arching my back when I felt his large hands close over my breasts. "Show me another one," I whined as the current clip ended. He let go of my breast only long enough to click play and then he was right back to cupping me, squeezing more firmly as the video started.

This one was the first to show actual sex, and it was another top-down view of a man kneeling between a woman's legs while she was lying down on a bed and looking up at him. He zoomed in on the initial penetration, but after that he panned up to capture his beautiful partner's loving gaze. This didn't look like a cheesy porn… it looked like a personal tape made by a couple in love.

The camera eventually panned down again to film his cock sliding in and out of her body, her moisture causing him to glisten in the light as he moved.

"I finally know what that feels like," Edward growled in my ear, sliding one of his hands down to cup me between my legs. It was almost embarrassing how badly I was throbbing for him. "How it feels to sink inside your body… how tight your pussy grips me."

"Oh God," I whimpered. He started rubbing his hand over me slowly, rocking his hips into my backside.

Still he continued with his verbal assault on my senses. "I want you again so badly. I want you like this video… looking down at you while I fuck you. Would you like that?"

I couldn't talk, I only squeaked and nodded. We both watched as the man pulled out and flipped her over onto her hands and knees, repositioning himself to enter her from behind.

"Fuck… I want you like _that_, too," Edward moaned. "I want to see you like that in front of me… looking back at me over your shoulder." I whimpered again more loudly, and before I knew it both of his hands were unbuttoning my jeans. "She better stay the hell downstairs for a while," he muttered to himself as he slipped a hand inside my underwear.

I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out when he sank his fingers into my wetness. He grunted again and paused for a moment, but after that he was swirling and stroking my flesh like he'd been doing it for years, knowing just where I needed to feel him most. Both of our eyes were glued to his monitor, watching as the man began pounding into her more roughly. I noticed that as the man's tempo increased, so did Edward's. He started applying more pressure, making it feel so much more intense. His other hand was gripping my breast again, squeezing almost painfully but it felt so _fucking_ good.

"So wet… so fucking wet," he muttered, his breathing choppy. Before I knew what I was doing, I slipped my hands behind me, between our bodies. It was awkward and cramped, but if I moved just the right way I could reach the button on his jeans. I just needed a little more room to move. Once I had popped it open, I shoved my hand inside, finding him hot and pulsing for me. "Oh… fuck _yes_!" he groaned, bucking his hips.

It was too awkward of a position for me to do much more than grip him, but grip him I did. He thrust up into my hand and rubbed my clit furiously, neither of us letting our eyes stray from the sight on his screen.

"That's me," he panted. "That's me inside you… fucking you so hard. Do you like that, baby?"

"Yes… God, yes!"

I could feel the tremors starting in my legs, signaling the approach of a powerful orgasm. From the way Edward was shaking underneath me, he wasn't far off either. We watched as the man thrust a few more times, pulling out to pump his seed all over his lover's backside. The sight of it made me snap, something about the primal nature of it sending me over the edge violently.

I buried my face in his neck and tried to swallow my screams as I exploded around his fingers. Hearing me was too much for Edward, and soon he was grunting through his own release, spurting hot fluid up my forearm.

Luckily I got the worst of it, our clothing miraculously spared from the fallout. When we were both recovered enough to process a logical thought, he grabbed a box of tissues and handed it to me.

"Here, baby. I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be. I thought it was hot as hell." I stood up and wiped my arm off, leaning over to kiss him soundly on the lips. "Do you have somewhere I could wash up?"

"Yeah, I have a bathroom through there," he said, nodding at a door on the opposite side of the room.

"Thanks." I took that opportunity to tidy up as well as wash away the incriminating evidence. When I came back out, I was surprised to find that he was talking to his mother, who must have come in about two seconds after I went into the bathroom.

Holy shit, that was close!

"Oh, there you are, Bella!" she smiled. "I was just reminding Edward that it's a school night, and that he should probably get you home pretty soon. I'd hate to make your father think that sort of thing didn't matter to us."

"We were just about to leave, Mom," Edward jumped in, noticing my deer-in-headlights look.

"Uh… yeah," I agreed, finally getting over my shock of seeing Esme there. "We should get going. Thank you so much again for having me over. It was a lovely dinner."

"No, thank you for coming, dear." She smiled warmly and opened her arms, wrapping me in a hug. "I hope you'll be back again soon."

"I'd like that a lot."

We stopped and said goodbye to Carlisle on the way out, where he thanked me again for the monkey bread as he dished himself up yet _another_ serving. Once we were in the safety of Edward's car we both let out huge sighs of relief and thanked our lucky stars that we didn't get caught a few minutes earlier.

When we pulled up to my house, I noticed that Charlie wasn't back from his date yet, which meant that we had a few more minutes of privacy.

As I looked over at my beautiful, sweet, tender-hearted boyfriend, I felt an enormous surge of emotion well up inside my chest.

Oh God… this was it.

"Edward… we need to talk."

.

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><p>Hmmm... little Eddie's a naughty boy, even when his parents are home!<p> 


	30. Chapter 30

.

.

Edward's eyes grew huge behind his lenses. "Is something wrong?" he asked, gulping loudly. "You were so quiet on the ride over, and now you're acting funny."

"I'm not trying to act funny," I said quietly, hating the way that my stomach was doing somersaults. "There's just... something I need to tell you, and I don't think I can put it off any longer."

"What is it?" he asked stiffly, moving his gaze to stare straight out the window. At first I thought he was looking at the rain that had begun to fall, but the more I watched him I realized that he wasn't focusing on anything. "Bella?" he croaked, still not looking at me. "Please just say it."

I knew I was making him nervous, but every time I tried to open my mouth the words would get choked off by fear. "I'm afraid to," I finally managed, my voice nothing more than a whisper.

The silence between us was intensified by the loud boom of thunder outside, followed by the echoing din of a sudden downpour.

"You've made up your mind; you might as well just get it over with." His voice sounded off, not angry as much as simply defeated.

I realized then that I was ruining it. I had just felt so overwhelmed with emotion and the need to tell him how I felt, but my own crippling nerves had gotten in the way before I could do it. I was so scared at how he would react and how awkward it might make things between us that I had somehow allowed him to think the worst, instantly making it even more awkward.

I knew I had to suck it up and do something… _anything_. Taking a deep breath, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and forced myself to put it out there.

"I love you!" I blurted out loudly before jumping out of the car, making a mad dash through the rain towards my house. I heard his car door slamming only seconds later.

"_Bella_!" he shouted over the storm. "Wait!" Before I could turn around all the way he was there, grabbing me and pulling me to him. "You love me? _That's_ what you were trying to tell me? I thought you were going to dump me!"

"I'm sorry!" I cried, tears of embarrassment streaming down my face, mixing with the rain. "I didn't want to tell you like that. I got scared and I panicked and when I realized what you were thinking I just sort of spit it out there."

Edward sighed and hugged me to his chest, the both of us getting soaked in the middle of my front lawn. "Why the hell couldn't you just tell me that?" he asked.

"Because!" I wailed, burying my face into his chest as it all came tumbling out. "It's so soon! I shouldn't love you this much already… I shouldn't _need_ you so badly, but I do! I need you so much that it hurts… it _hurts_ me. I can't even stand saying goodbye to you on the phone; it's like a giant hole is ripping open in my chest. That can't possibly be normal, right?"

"Who says?"

"Huh?" I blinked up at him, trying to focus on his eyes through his rain-spattered glasses.

"Who says that's not normal for us? Maybe we're just intense like that; why does that make it wrong?"

"It doesn't _feel_ wrong," I sobbed. "It feels perfect. That's why I was so afraid to tell you; I didn't want to scare you off and ruin things… or make you think that you had to say it back if you weren't ready."

"If I wasn't _ready_?" he lauged. "Bella, I've been head over heels in love with you from the moment I laid eyes on you! It's only gotten stronger every day that we're together. I've been _dying_ to tell you!"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Would you have believed me if I had? I was the shy virgin who'd never even kissed a girl before. I figured you would just chalk it up to inexperience and blow me off if I said it first." He leaned down and covered my mouth with his own, our wet lips sliding against each other. "You don't know how hard it was to keep from saying it last night," he said, pulling back only far enough to whisper against my lips. "After sharing something so beautiful with you."

"Me too!" I gasped, kissing him once more.

"Then tell me now," he said gruffly, sliding his hand up through my wet hair to anchor me in place. "Say it again."

"I love you, Edward," I sobbed even louder, only that time it was with happy tears. "I love you so much it hurts. I don't ever want to be without you."

He claimed my lips hungrily, warming me up from the inside out. His kiss was possessive and predatory and full of need, but when he pulled back to look me in the eye, I saw nothing but sincerity. "I love you, too, Bella. I don't care if you believe this or not, but I intend to love you for the rest of my life. I know I'm new to this and I know it's way too early to say this kind of stuff, but I can only tell you what's in my heart."

"Oh my God." I slumped against him, feeling as if my feet might give out at any moment. "You always manage to take my breath away."

"Good. I hope I always do, because I'm not going anywhere." He smiled and kissed me again, sinking every ounce of emotion from the night into it. My lips were singing and my head was spinning and I don't think either of us felt the cold from the rain any more.

I wanted to lose myself in everything he was saying and doing, but the pessimistic idiot who lived inside my head had to get in one more question. "Edward," I panted, trying to catch my breath. "I believe you feel that way now, but how do you know that someone better won't come along in college?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I knew you would go there. How do you know that someone better won't come along for _you_?"

"Well… because you're it for me. You're all I want."

"Then why don't I get to say the same thing? I feel the exact same way about you."

"But… you don't have anything to compare me with. You haven't played the field at all."

"So it's a strike against me because I got lucky on the first try? Besides, it's not like you are a seasoned dating veteran or anything."

"I know, but… what if you start to resent the fact that you were only with one girl? What if I'm not enough for you?"

"Bella," he sighed, holding my face in his hands. "I love you, but sometimes you say the craziest shit. On what planet would you not be enough for me? I feel like I hit the million dollar jackpot the very first time I played. Why the fuck would I keep trying to get something better? There _is_ no better, and the odds of hitting a second jackpot in one lifetime are astronomical. I'm not stupid; I know how to cherish the treasure I've been given." He smiled and kissed my forehead before squeezing me tightly. "Besides, I should _thank_ you for helping me to avoid dating tons of people. I've never wanted that. All the guessing and head games and drama, it's never been remotely attractive to me. I think people who romanticize that stuff are full of shit, because every time they break up it's all crying and whining and even more drama before they start all over again on the next one. I can't stand wasting time on lost causes."

"So you don't think I'm a lost cause?" I giggled, kissing the side of his neck and nipping it lightly.

"Never. Like I said, you're my treasure, beautiful girl."

I pulled him down to meet my lips, feeling lighter than I had in months. I didn't care anymore if we were young and the odds were against us. Nothing that could make me feel so alive and full of joy could be wrong, and I would fight to the death to keep it. It thrilled me to no end to hear that Edward and I were on the same page about that.

Our kiss began to turn more heated with so much emotion flowing through us. He let out that delicious whimper as our tongues slipped and tangled together, and by the time we parted I felt dizzy with need. The rain continued to beat down on us as we stared at each other, both of us panting loudly.

"I love you, Bella," he said after a beat, his voice strained. "And I want you so badly right now that it's killing me. I want to be able to tell you how much I love you while I'm buried deep inside you."

"I want that, too." I was surprised that I could sound so normal since it felt like my heart was going to explode. "But… my dad."

"I know," he sighed. "He'll be home soon. Why don't you go inside and dry off before I do something really stupid. We _will_ continue this tomorrow." The last bit came out with a growl and it took all my strength not to mount him on my lawn.

"Alright," I nodded, kissing him quickly. "Thank you for such an amazing night."

"Thank you for loving me," he whispered.

"Always, Edward." I stared into his beautiful eyes as I pledged myself. "I'll love you always."

.

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><p>Awwwwww!<p>

OK, so Bella wasn't the smoothest there in the beginning, but it got better. Wonder what Edward's got planned for tomorrow? ;-)

By the way, Edward's little speech about dating was almost verbatim to what my husband told me when I confessed similar fears to him. He still maintains to this day that he's thrilled he didn't have to date around before finding the right one.


	31. Chapter 31

Wow, I can't tell you how many lovely, beautiful love stories I got in your reviews after the last chapter. Thank you all so much for reading and sharing!

* * *

><p>.<p>

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I heard my father coming home about twenty minutes later while I was drying off from my shower. By the time I had dried my hair and gotten ready for bed he was already coming up the stairs to his room. I opened my door to catch him on the landing, hoping to corner him about his date.

"Hey," I said, startling him.

"Oh… you're still up."

"Yeah, I'm heading to bed now. How did it go?"

I watched as his mustache crept up in the corner, hinting at an actual smile. "Better than I thought it would. We were really comfortable together… the conversation kept moving." He was quiet for a moment before turning the tables on me. "How did it go with _you_ tonight?"

"Great! The Cullens are so welcoming and sweet. They seemed to really like me."

"Well, they'd be crazy not to, Bells."

"Thanks." I debated for a moment on whether or not I should tell him what had happened earlier, before finally just going for it. "I uh… I told him. You were right."

Charlie blinked a few times, then cleared his throat. "Oh. Well… good, then. Good for you. I'm uh… proud of you."

I could tell that the thought of his daughter confessing her love to a potentially long term boyfriend was making him uncomfortable, so I decided to take it easy on him. "So… I'm gonna get to bed."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea… since you have school in the morning and everything."

I turned to my room, but before I stepped through my door I called back to him over my shoulder. "I'm really happy that your date with Sue went well."

"Thanks, kid."

"If you really like her, you shouldn't keep her waiting too long before asking her out again."

"Believe it or not, I _have_ done this before, you know."

"Yeah, but you're getting a little rusty. Just lookin' out."

"Get to bed, smartass," he laughed.

I closed my door with a huge smile on my face. It seemed that we were both starting over now, and things were going better than expected for both of us.

The next morning promptly at seven fifteen there was a knock on the door. Since I was still finishing my cereal in the kitchen, Charlie answered it for me.

"Oh… hello there, Edward."

"Good morning, sir… uh, Charlie."

"Bella's just finishing up her breakfast. Why don't you come in?"

"Thank you."

I heard footsteps coming into the room and when I looked up at him I nearly spit out my food. He looked so beautiful it was twisting my heart in my chest. Edward stood before me wearing a light gray cardigan over a white button-up shirt and jeans. It wasn't the clothes so much that were killing me, although he looked sophisticated as hell, but it was the look on his face.

He was positively glowing.

His green eyes were shining brightly behind his glasses as he smiled at me, his copper hair sticking up in its usual disarray. I felt myself starting to blush the moment I looked at him, remembering all of our admissions to each other the night before.

"Good morning," he smiled warmly.

"Hi," I gushed as soon as I had swallowed my mouthful of cereal. "Sorry, I'm almost done. I ran later than I expected."

"No problem, take your time." He walked over and hopped up on the counter opposite me, watching over me like a painfully beautiful guardian angel.

I shoveled the last few bites of food in my mouth and dumped out my milk in the sink. Not the most ladylike, I'm sure, but give me a break. I just wanted to get the hell out of that house and away from my dad so that I could grab Edward and kiss him and tell him I loved him over and over again.

"All ready," I said, grabbing my book bag.

"Okay," he smiled again, jumping off the counter and brushing off his jeans.

God, if I could only bottle that smile I would be a multi-millionaire.

We both said goodbye to Charlie and headed outside to Edward's car. Once we had closed the doors I noticed Edward glancing back towards the house, making sure that we weren't being watched. Before I knew what was happening, I was being yanked halfway over the center console and kissed within an inch of my sanity. Edward's lips were strong and forceful, coaxing mine to open for him so that our tongues could get reacquainted. By the time he pulled away, I was gasping for air and feeling more than a bit overheated.

"I've been waiting to do that since I left here last night," he panted against my mouth.

"Me too… yeah… a lot." So I wasn't the most eloquent speaker when I was addlebrained.

"I love you, my beautiful girl," he whispered, and I swear that he was glowing even more than before.

"I love you, too." We did nothing but stare into each other's eyes for a moment, completely lost in this new world we had created for ourselves. When I finally realized that time wasn't exactly standing still, I reminded him that we needed to get to school.

"I know," he sighed, straightening up in his seat and starting the car. "To be honest, though… sitting through class is the last place I want to be right now. I could care less about studying history and calculus today."

"Did you have something else in mind?" I asked suggestively as we made our way to the school.

He glanced at me sideways while he drove, growling low in his chest. "I'd rather be someplace private… studying your body and all the ways I can make it sing for me."

"_Holy_…" I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Great, now I'm totally useless for school, too."

"Sorry, baby," he chuckled. "At least we're in this together."

"Yeah, right," I grumbled, making him laugh even harder.

Somehow we both managed to make it through the day, even with two tests and a pop quiz between us. Edward certainly wasn't making it any easier on me, either. He kept shooting heated glances at me over lunch, and then during biology his trusty notebook slid over next to me while I was trying to make myself pay attention to the lecture.

_Is your dad going to be home after school?_

I shook my head in response, then reached over and added my own note.

_Night shift _

Edward's eyebrows shot up to his hairline before he regrouped and started writing again.

_You promised I could help you start up a Facebook page. _

I looked up at him, noticing that his eyes were dark with suggestion.

_Then you should probably come over so we can get started on that. _

_Just what I was thinking._

We didn't say or write any more after that because the teacher started asking questions about the lecture, but I knew damn well we were both thinking about it. From that point on I couldn't stop staring at the clock, willing it to move faster.

By the time I was finally done with my last class I practically sprinted through the parking lot to Edward's Volvo. He was somehow already waiting there for me, leaning back against the car with his arms crossed, looking like the personification of sex itself.

"Have a nice day in school, dear?" he asked with a smirk.

"Shut up and get in the car," I laughed, bumping him out of the way with my hip so that I could get in.

"Ooh, I love it when you're forceful," he teased, walking around to his side of the car.

We drove in silence back to my house, but the tension between us was so thick that I could feel it charging the air around us with electricity. There were furtive glances and lingering touches, and every single thing between us seemed to hint at so much more to come.

The silence lasted until I had closed my front door and locked it. We took one look at each other and that was it. Both of our bags dropped to the floor at the same time, and the next thing I knew I was jumping and he was catching, wrapping my legs around his waist as he pinned me to the door and devoured my mouth. We were panting and moaning, our hands looking for anywhere and everywhere to touch.

"Upstairs!" I gasped. He whimpered and nodded, reaching down to grip my ass as he turned us around and made his way up the stairs, kissing and laughing with me the entire way. It was clumsy and slow, but he didn't seem to have the slightest inclination of putting me down until my bedroom was in sight.

When we were finally through the door he kicked it closed behind him, kneeling on the edge of my bed and following me down when I toppled onto the mattress. I pulled him to me hungrily, wrapping my legs around him again and shoving my hands into his thick hair.

"_Bella_," he groaned. "I need you." He kissed and licked at my neck, following it up with small nibbles that were lighting my body on fire. "I need to feel you. Please let me make love to you."

"Yes… God yes!" I panted.

"Naked," he grunted, sliding his hands up to squeeze my breasts, flicking his thumbs over my nipples until they were straining against the fabric. "I need to feel you naked underneath me."

Edward rose up on his knees as I sat up and pushed his sweater off his shoulders. While he was preoccupied with pulling his arms out of the sleeves, I started in on the buttons of his shirt.

"Did I tell you how delicious you look today?" I purred, kissing each new piece of exposed flesh as it was revealed to me.

"Really?" he squeaked when I circled my tongue around his nipple.

"Mm… so sexy. My little college professor."

"Huh?"

Oops! Did I say that out loud?

"It's… sort of a glasses thing," I said with a blush. "I keep having this fantasy about you being a naughty professor, letting me earn a little… extra credit. I guess you're outfit today just added to that."

I watched as his eyes fluttered, almost rolling back into his head before he groaned again. "You're fucking _killing_ me here, you know that, right?"

"Why?"

"Because now all I can think about is bending you over a desk and spanking you."

I bit his other nipple before leaning back to look up at him. "Now we have the same fantasy."

"_Fuck_!" He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and when he opened them again they were blazing. "Oh, we are _definitely_ revisiting this topic again." He looked down at me and shook his head. "Why the hell aren't you naked yet? Forget my clothes!"

He shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it over in the corner before pulling at the hem of my t-shirt and yanking it over my head. I reached back to unhook my bra while he unzipped my jeans and started pulling them down over my hips, taking my underwear with them. When I was completely naked he stood up and looked down at me, his eyes traveling the entire length of my body.

"My God… you're exquisite."

He quickly shed the rest of his clothes and climbed onto the bed. It was hard not to stare at his gorgeous erection as it bobbed whenever he moved, but I was trying not to be rude.

Alright, I totally stared.

We both sighed as he covered my body with his own, finally feeling ourselves pressed against each other with nothing in the way.

"I love you so much, Bella." He smiled down at me sweetly before kissing my lips with the softest pressure imaginable. "Let me love you everywhere."

I merely nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak. He started kissing his way down my body, paying close attention to my swollen nipples, licking and sucking each one until they were almost sore… but it felt so fucking amazing. When he had settled himself between my thighs he pushed them open wide, groaning loudly when he used his fingers to spread me apart for him.

"Fuck, baby… there's so much I couldn't see before. You're so beautiful… so wet." He watched his fingers sliding inside me as he spoke, two long, slender digits stroking me deep. "Do you like that?" he asked when I moaned and bucked my hips.

"You know I do," I panted.

"That's right. I know what else you like, too." Without a moment's hesitation he buried his face between my legs, lapping at my wet folds while he pumped his fingers inside me. I felt him circling my clit a few times with the tip of his tongue before flattening it against it and using strong, broad strokes that were making my eyes roll back in my head. I propped myself up on my elbows so that I could look down at him, and seeing him like that was enough to send me straight over the edge. He didn't look like he was doing me a favor or suffering through it; Edward was in ecstasy.

"Oh fuck!" I cried out, the tremors in my legs impossible to control. "You look so amazing like that, baby!" I grabbed the back of his head and held him to me while I ground myself against him, screaming out my release. He growled loudly against me, sending vibrations through my body that triggered another orgasm.

When he rose up to look at me I could only manage to squeak out one word. "_Now_!" I grabbed and pulled at his arms, desperate to feel him on top of me again. Even though I had just experienced _two_ spectacular orgasms, my body only felt more hollow than before, throbbing and aching to feel him inside me.

While he climbed back up onto his knees, I reached over to my bedside table and grabbed a foil packet from the drawer. I held it up to him and he shook his head, gesturing for me to do it.

"I can't concentrate on that right now," he gasped. "I'm so turned on I can't think straight. I didn't even remember needing one."

Honestly, I barely did, either. I almost ignored it altogether since I was on the pill, but I had promised him that we would always be cautious. The last thing we needed this early on was an accident.

Before I rolled it on I rose up and kissed his swollen tip, lapping up the fluid that was leaking.

"Christ, Bella!" he gasped. "Do you want me to come already?"

"Sorry," I giggled. "I couldn't resist. It's just so… perfect." I finished rolling the condom on and lied back on the bed. "Please, Edward," I whimpered. "I need you."

"God, baby… you don't know how long I've imagined this… having you looking up at me like that." He grabbed himself and lined us up together, staring down between us as he rubbed the tip up and down my swollen folds. "_Fuck_, that's gorgeous," he grunted, slipping just inside me. He continued to watch as he slid in further, sinking all the way to the hilt.

I couldn't handle him being so far away from me for something that felt so intimate, so I pulled on his arms until he was covering me. "I need to feel you everywhere."

"You read my mind." He smiled down at me as he slowly withdrew, thrusting back inside me more deeply. "Oh… oh God…" The look on his face was almost pained. He actually looked scared that it felt so good. "It's so fucking _intense_!"

I wrapped my arms around his back and hugged him to me, letting him know that we were experiencing it together. He buried his face in my neck, kissing me everywhere he could reach as he continued to thrust inside me.

"Yes… oh Edward, that feels so good," I moaned, rising up to meet him thrust for thrust.

"Oh fuck, say my name again," he growled, speeding up his rhythm.

"Edward."

"Again!"

"_Edward_!"

"_Yes_, baby… fuck, you feel so amazing!" He raised his head back far enough to look down at me. "I love you… God, Bella… I love you so much!"

"I love you, too." I reached up and pulled him back down so that I could kiss him, pouring every ounce of passion and love I was feeling that moment into the kiss. I slid my hands down until I was gripping his ass, pulling him into me more roughly. At that moment I was the closest to a state of euphoria as I'd ever been, and suddenly I couldn't stop babbling. "I love you, Edward… I love everything about you… I love how you make me feel… oh _God_, I love the way you move inside me!"

"_Yes_!" He started rocking into me with more force, his movements becoming slightly erratic as my headboard began slamming into the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on for dear life, completely incoherent with the pleasure that was rocketing through my body.

It was obvious that he was close, and let me just say that if I had ever thought any of his sounds were sexy before, they were _nothing_ compared to how he sounded when he came. Sure, I had heard him come before, but there was something different about it when he was in control. It was more visceral… more intense… and it was sexy as hell. After giving a few final thrusts, Edward threw his head back and cried out his release. "_Bella_!"

Edward collapsed on top of me, rolling us sideways until he had pulled me over to lie on his chest. We were perfectly still for a while, taking the time to catch our breath as he stroked my hair.

"Bella… that was… God, everything I want to say sounds so sappy," he groaned.

"Hey, this is a perfect time for sappy," I said, kissing his chest.

"Okay, well… I had no idea that there was an actual physical experience that could feel as powerful as the love I feel for you, but that was it. There at the end… I felt like my heart was going to explode."

"I felt it, too," I whispered. "It was like all my love for you boiled up and over, and it was shooting out of every pore at once."

"Why do you think that is?" he asked. "I mean, the other night was amazing, but it wasn't like this."

"I think there are a few reasons for that," I said. "First off, we were rushing, it was outside, and it was freezing; It's no wonder this was better. I think what really made the difference, though, is that fact that we aren't holding back any more."

"Who would have thought that saying a few words to each other could make such a big difference?"

"Well, maybe it doesn't for everyone. Who knows? I just know I love you."

Edward grabbed my chin and pulled me up for a sweet, tender kiss. "I love you, too. That's all that matters, beautiful girl."

"Forever," I whispered.

"Forever," he nodded, following it up with that glowing smile.

.

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><p>I just can't get enough of these lovebirds!<p> 


	32. Chapter 32

Wow, sorry about the delay. All I can say is that I've had a nasty week at work and I really just needed a little bit of a mental holiday. I couldn't concentrate on ANYTHING!

I also forgot to mention in the last chapter that I made a picture of what I imagined Shyward looks like, and that photo was used for inspiration when I described him in Bella's kitchen. There's a link to the pic on my author page, so check it out if you need a visual.

Now back to our post-coital cuties!

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><p>.<p>

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"I wonder who invented the term _spooning_?" Edward mumbled into the back of my neck before he kissed it and pulled me even closer against him.

"Beats me," I sighed, relaxing into the warmth of his body. "They can call it whatever they want for all I care, as long as you keep snuggling with me like this."

"No problem," he chuckled.

We had cuddled together for a while after our rather heated encounter before finally dozing for a little bit. As amazing as our sex had been earlier, I was startled to realize that waking up in Edward's arms was almost better. I had never felt so cherished or special at that moment and I only hoped that he felt half as good as I did.

Seeking out more of his warmth, I backed my bottom up against him and was startled to feel him sliding, hard and ready, between the backs of my thighs.

"Oh! Well, hello there," I giggled.

"Sorry," he said with a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "I can't help it. Lying here next to you like this… it's got a mind of its own."

I reached down and slipped him between my folds, rubbing my wetness along his length. "Who's complaining?"

"Oh… God, Bella… that feels so good." We slid together a few times, the tip of his penis brushing back and forth over my now-swollen clit.

"_Yes_… yes it does," I gasped, flexing my hips in time with his. "Do me a favor, baby… reach back there into that drawer."

"You got it." He rolled away long enough to grab another condom and put it on. "There. Now, where were we?"

"I think we were right about… _there_," I sighed, pulling him between my legs again. The condom was slippery, but after a few tries we were able to line him up at my entrance. Edward pushed forward, penetrating me slowly from behind, forcing himself a little bit deeper with each thrust of his hips. I raised my leg up and over his, hoping to help him go further.

"Tight," he grunted. "So fucking… _tight_!"

Our movements were a little jerky and stunted in that position, but I had to agree with him that the tightness it caused was amazing. I could feel _everything_.

"Roll over for me, baby," he panted in my ear. "I need to move more." He pushed at my shoulder until I was lying flat on my stomach, my head turned to the side so that I could look back at him. "_Yes_… oh God." His movements inside me became more fluid, with long, deep strokes that were driving me mad. Before long, I felt him sliding his hands under my stomach and lifting me. "Get up on your knees for me."

Who was this guy? Was this actually the same boy who less than two weeks ago was so shy he could barely kiss me? Now he sounded so sexy that I found myself raising up to my knees before I knew what I was doing, commanded by the power of his voice alone.

"Christ, you have no idea how fucking good you look like that," he groaned. I felt him stroke his hands down my spine almost reverently before settling them on my hips, tilting them up even further before sliding deep inside me again.

I threw my head back and cried out at the sensation, but when he stopped to ask if I was alright I couldn't help looking over my shoulder at him. "Don't stop now! Edward, it's so perfect… just keep fucking me!"

He let out a loud growl after that, his face turning almost feral as he began thrusting harder. "You want me to fuck you, baby? Is that what you want?" His movements became rougher until he was pounding into me, his hips slapping against my ass. "Say it!"

"God yes!" I cried, moving in time with him.

Edward reached his hand around me, slipping his long fingers between my folds until he was rubbing my clit. "I want to make you come, Bella. I want to feel that tight pussy squeezing me while you come all over my cock."

"Fuck! Just keep doing that, then… I'm so close!" The combination of his deep strokes, his dirty words and the way he was touching me was sending me right over the edge. I felt my legs starting to tremble beneath me and I wondered in the back of my mind if they would be able to hold me up through this.

"Oh God, I can feel you," he moaned. "That's it, baby… let it go. I want to hear you. _Fuck_, I love you so much!" His thrusting became more erratic as I screamed his name, falling into a million pieces around him as he quickly followed.

"Holy shit!" I panted when I had finally caught my breath.

"No kidding," Edward laughed, flopping down next to me on the bed. "Jesus, Bella… it just keeps getting better."

"I think you mean that _you_ keep getting better," I said, tickling his sides before kissing his chest.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a natural at this! I can't even believe that you just started doing this stuff. My God, Edward… you're so insanely sexy. The way you talk… and _move_!"

"So you're saying you're a fan?" he said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm the president of the fan club, baby."

"Well, that's a coincidence, since I'm your biggest fan, too."

I leaned over and kissed him on the tip of the nose. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Can I make you something to eat?"

"I don't want to impose."

"Who's imposing? I'm asking you. Besides, I'm not thinking of anything major, maybe just a grilled cheese or something. How does that sound?"

"With tomato soup?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"I think I might have some."

"That sounds great," he said, his stomach growling loudly in agreement.

After we dressed I made my way down to the kitchen while Edward used the bathroom. I was heating up the soup and halfway through grilling my first sandwich when he came downstairs, my laptop in tow.

"Why do you have that?" I asked as he set it down on the kitchen table and fired it up. He looked up at me and smiled like a little boy trying to get his way, not saying a word. "What?" I finally asked after flipping the sandwich over.

"You promised."

"Promised what?" I thought for a moment before it finally dawned on me. "Oh man, are you _serious_?"

"You _promised_, Bella."

"You're still going to make me do that? I shouldn't be held responsible to that; you used your powers of adorableness on me."

"My powers of adorableness?" he laughed, causing the cutest dimples to appear on his cheeks.

"Yes! You're doing it right now!"

"Well, is it working?"

"Yes, _dammit_," I grumbled. "Pull up the damn site," I sighed, plating up our dinner and serving it. By the time I grabbed two sodas out of the fridge and sat down, he had already brought up the Facebook homepage and angled the laptop between us so that we could both see the screen. "Just… let me eat first so that I don't lose my appetite."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," he laughed, dunking the corner of his grilled cheese into the steaming bowl of soup before taking a large bite out of it. "Mmm, this is delicious."

"Thank you," I smiled, before directing my attention to the screen with a sneer. "Ugh… fucking _Zuckerberg_."

"Don't worry," Edward whispered. "He'll never know, I promise."

"Alright then, let's get this over with."

For the next hour Edward proceeded to help me set up my account and preferences, making such a big deal out of selecting _in a relationship_ for my status that I couldn't help but lose the chip on my shoulder. It was glaringly obvious that he only wanted me on there so that he could spend more time online with his girlfriend, so I decided that I might as well suck it up and be open to the idea for his sake. Once everything was up and running he gave me another quick run-through, and the next thing I knew, I was an official Facebooker.

"So what do you want to post first?" he asked excitedly.

"Uh… let me think about it for a bit."

"Bella, it's just Facebook; it doesn't need to be anything monumental."

"Well, why not? If it's my very first post, why shouldn't it mean something?"

"I guess you have a point," he sighed, clearly frustrated that he wasn't going to get to watch me do it when he realized that he needed to head home. "Well… I suppose I'll have to check it again later tonight."

"Don't pout," I teased as I walked him to the door. "I just want to post something really important that I don't mind the whole world reading. Give me a little bit to think it over."

"Alright. I'll check it again after I get home." He smiled down at me before leaning down to kiss me sweetly. "Thanks for letting me twist your arm on that. I think you'll really enjoy it after you are on for a while."

"We'll see," I said, not holding my breath. "Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, I'll give you a call after I spend some time with my family."

"No rush, just call whenever you get some free time. Thanks for hanging out… and… everything else."

His smile grew even wider. "Thank _you_," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

I watched him until he pulled out of the drive, waving goodbye before I closed the door. As soon as he was gone, I walked straight over to the computer and typed in my status. I'd never had any doubt what I wanted to put, I only wanted it to be a surprise for him when he got home.

_I'm head over heels in love with Edward Cullen, and the fact that I let him talk me into joining Facebook should prove it. _

I went about my business tidying up the kitchen and finishing my homework. It wasn't until I was back upstairs and getting ready for bed that I logged back in to my new Facebook account. I couldn't fight the huge smile on my face when I saw what was waiting for me.

_Edward Cullen likes this. _

Then below that: _I love you too, baby. I'm honored that was your first post._

I also noticed that about half the senior class had already friend requested me, but I didn't pay any attention to those. I'd worry about that tomorrow… tonight had only been about Edward.

.

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><p>Ooh, I think Edward is turning into a little sex machine!<p> 


	33. Chapter 33

Sounds like a lot of you like the look of our sexy little Shyward!

Here's another short but sweet one.

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><p>.<p>

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Over the next few weeks we began to develop a routine. On the days when Charlie worked the night shift, Edward would come home with me after school and keep me company for a few hours. It wasn't always sexual; there were days when we would do nothing but cuddle on the couch and get sucked into watching endless marathons of Diners, Drive-In's and Dives on the Food Network.

Then there were times that were _extremely_ sexual, like the week when Edward was determined to christen every surface in my house he could think of.

The kitchen table was my favorite.

Just remembering the way he slid my panties down under my skirt and tossed me up there with the rest of my clothes on _still_ got me worked up. He had been so sexy and commanding… perhaps it was just because he had his glasses on and I was in a skirt. We were getting closer and closer to enacting my Professor Cullen fantasy and just thinking about it drove me crazy.

We hadn't done it yet, even though I knew he was more than willing. The timing just never felt right. I wanted to really get into it, so much so that I had Rose and Alice help me pick out a tiny little schoolgirl costume to surprise him with, but it never felt like we had enough guaranteed free time to risk it. I didn't want Charlie coming home early some night while I was in pigtails and a plaid skirt. Messy hair or smudged makeup I could try to bullshit over, but there was no covering up a sexy role-playing costume like that.

I was really hoping that we could find the way to work out an overnight before too long, and if it was possible then I knew the first thing I was packing in my bag.

On the days when Charlie was home, Edward would still have dinner with us a couple nights a week. I had worried about him wearing out his welcome with my dad, but Charlie seemed to enjoy having a guy around to talk to. Edward wasn't huge into sports like my dad was, but he was always up for some conversation. Sometimes they would talk about law enforcement and Edward would ask him about what it was like going into that line of work, while other times Charlie would ask about different design projects Edward had going and he seemed genuinely interested in the answers he was given.

I hated to say it, because I knew it sounded tacky as hell, but we were becoming a family. Edward had wormed his way into our lives and our hearts, and I don't think either of us would know what to do if he left now.

It was the same way for his parents as well. They would have me over on the weekends and I would spend hours in the kitchen helping Esme prepare dinner, then hours up in Edward's bedroom away from prying eyes. We had mapped out Esme's 'surprise' inspections down to a tee, so we always knew when it was time to tidy up and be presentable. The fact that she was so predictable never failed to make me laugh; it was clear to see that she didn't want to fully condone us doing anything inappropriate, but she didn't want to actually catch us at it, either. I think she was hoping that it might scare us into behaving… but that never worked.

On Thanksgiving the Cullens surprised us by inviting me _and_ Charlie over to their house for a big dinner. Luckily he didn't have to work until the following morning, so he was able to join me and see firsthand how amazing Edward's parents really were. I took another batch of monkey bread with us to appease Carlisle, and after his third helping he entertained my dad with pool and darts in their rec room. It was nothing like Emmett's rec room, mind you, but it was still pretty impressive.

Charlie excused himself a little early, asking Edward if he could give me a ride home when I was ready to leave. It turned out that Sue had invited him over for dinner as well, but I knew that she also had kids and Charlie didn't want to make them feel threatened on the first Thanksgiving after their father had passed, so he promised her that he would try to stop by later for some pie and coffee. They seemed to be working out pretty well together as a couple, and I had a feeling that if they continued to be so considerate of each other's lives, then there just might be a chance for them.

Edward _might_ have taken me on a small detour to our meadow before we went home that night, but that time we stayed in the car… with the heat on. I couldn't wait until it was warm and summery so that I could see it in all of its glory. Edward kept talking about beautiful wildflowers for as far as the eye could see, and he mentioned on more than one occasion how badly he wanted to lay me down in them without any clothes on and love me from head to toe.

Yes, please!

We tried to make time for our friends when we could outside of school, hanging out at Emmett's for movie and game night at least once or twice a month. We also went to his post-game parties once in a while, but when it came time to play the Single Game we would both look at each other and know it was our cue to leave. Edward and I had no interest in that game anymore. It had served its purpose at the time, but we had better things to do now than watch a bunch of idiots make out.

When Christmas rolled around, after our dinner at the Cullens' and Charlie's early departure for more pie and coffee at the reservation with Sue, Edward managed to make me bawl my eyes out. Not maliciously, of course, they were tears of joy… but I still cried like a baby.

"What's this?" I asked as he handed me a giftwrapped package.

"Your present," he smiled.

"I thought we were making our presents," I said, immediately regretting the homemade packet of sexy coupons I'd stayed up late gluing glitter on.

"We are. Go on, open it." I tore into the lovely paper and opened the box to reveal a large wooden frame. As I turned it over, Edward stood at my shoulder and spoke quietly. "Now, I had to buy the frame, but I made what's inside it."

I stood there staring down at my favorite childhood photo, beautifully restored and blown up to an 8x10 glossy with the word _Family_ printed on the mat board in Edward's elegant script. One minute my parents were smiling up at me as my younger self pigged out on chocolate cake, and the next thing I knew I was bursting into tears.

It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me.

"Don't you like it?" he asked, a worried tone in his voice.

"How… how did you?"

"I stole it off your corkboard a few weeks ago when you were in the bathroom. I smuggled it back here and scanned it into my computer, then used some of my photo software to sharpen it up. I figured this way you could still pin the original to your wall, but now you'll always have a copy to stay safe."

I set it down on the edge of his bed and threw myself into his arms. "I can't believe you are so thoughtful!" I wailed. "What the hell did I do to deserve you? How did I get so lucky?" I held him tightly until my crying jag had subsided, allowing him to rock me back and forth a bit as we stood.

"Sweetheart, how many times do I have to tell you? _I'm_ the lucky one." He leaned down and kissed me gently. "I've never felt more blessed than I do right now."

What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Between bawling and feeling like my heart was about to explode, it wasn't my most articulate of moments.

"Love… you… so… much," I fought out through a barrage of sniffles. "I… coupons!" I blurted out, shoving my gift at him.

While I pulled myself together, Edward flipped through my booklet, laughing at the creativity of some of them and raising his eyebrow suggestively at some of the others. "_Any_ position?" he squeaked.

"Mmhm," I nodded, wiping my nose with a tissue from the bathroom.

"Imagine the possibilities," he chuckled, grabbing me and kissing me.

"Do you hate it?"

"Of course not! I love it! I can really tell how much time you put into making this for me, Bella. Matter of fact, I wouldn't mind cashing in on this one right now," he smirked, pulling one out of the booklet and handing it to me.

"A massage?" I scoffed. "_That's_ the one you're picking first?"

"I didn't say _what_ I wanted massaged yet, now did I?"

"Why Mr. Cullen," I teased, batting my eyelashes demurely, "I do believe you're trying to corrupt me."

Edward reached around my back and pulled me up against him, taking me with him as he fell back on the bed, causing me to screech in laughter. "Now don't be silly, Miss Swan. You taught me everything I know."

"I sure did."

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><p>Before you all start asking me if that was the end, no it wasn't. However, I do get the feeling that it's starting to wind down. Maybe only a few more chapters; it all depends what else Shyward still wants to say.<p> 


	34. Chapter 34

So, how many of you went out to buy the BD DVD this weekend? I made a special trip out of town with a friend to find a Target that was doing the midnight special, but I have to admit that I was bummed out that it didn't have any deleted scenes. :-(

But it WAS lovely to be able to rewind the love scene over and over again.

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><p>.<p>

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"Hey, I know it's not until next Tuesday, but how would you like to celebrate Valentine's Day a little early?" Edward whispered to me in biology one afternoon during an extremely boring science film.

"Why? What did you have in mind?"

He looked around us quickly before leaning in closer. "Well, I just found out that my parents are going out of town for the weekend. I usually spend most of my time over at Emmett's whenever they're gone, but do you think you could find a way to stay over one night?"

_ChaChing!_

"Hmm… I guess I could see if Alice would cover for me." Oh, she would; I totally knew she would, but I didn't want to seem like I had been hoping, praying and scheming for this opportunity for months.

From the answering smile he gave me, I don't think I was fooling him one bit. "It would be really great if she could. I mean, I cover for Jasper all the time. I don't think he's even _been_ in my house, now that I think about it, and his parents think he spends the night at least once a month."

"I'll see what I can do," I said while looking straight ahead, pretending to watch the movie, while my mind just kept playing the same words over and over again on a loop.

_Valentine's with Professor Cullen. Valentine's with Professor Cullen. Valentine's with Professor fucking Cullen! _

I practically skipped down the hall after class to find Alice at her locker talking with Rose. They both looked up at my glowing face and stopped mid-sentence, eager to see what I had to say.

"Friday night!" I squealed, almost jumping up and down from the excitement.

"Yes!" Alice cheered, giving me a high five.

"'Bout damn time," Rosalie laughed, patting me on the shoulder in congratulations.

They both knew how desperate I was to have an overnight with Edward. He and I had become more open lately about the fact that we were indeed having sex, which hadn't been a shocker to anyone who hung around us. We were still fairly private when it came to sharing gory details and probably always would be, but we both admitted that we needed a little girl/guy talk once in a while with our friends.

"So are they only gone Friday night?" Alice asked, immediately all business.

"No, the whole weekend, but I think Friday would be the safer night to stay of the two, so we don't have to rush to get me out of there on Saturday morning."

"Good thinking," she nodded in approval. She tilted her head to the side and tapped her chin with her finger as she thought. "Let's see… I have to go to the basketball game, but I can pick you up before that and you can tell your dad that you're going with me, then home with me after."

"I guess that would work."

"Trust her," Rose laughed. "This girl is a mastermind at covering up her naughty behavior."

"Hey!" Alice scoffed at her. "I seem to remember lending _you_ a little bit of my expertise more than a few times."

"Yes, yes," Rose sighed, rolling her eyes. "All hail the Great and Powerful Oz."

"That's more like it." Alice turned to me. "So what are you going to pack?"

"Well, he mentioned celebrating Valentine's early, so I have a few ideas."

"I just _bet_ you do," Rosalie smirked. "Would a certain item we helped you pick out in the costume store be going with you?"

"No comment." I tried, but I couldn't hold back my smile.

"I knew it, you dirty slut," she teased.

"She's not a slut," Alice chastised. "She's an excellent girlfriend who's giving a kickass present for Valentine's."

"Let's hope that's how he sees it," I mumbled.

"Oh please, Bella. He's a hot-blooded teenage boy. He's going to think you're a goddess… if he doesn't pass out from horniness first."

"Thanks for the visual, Rose. Now I'll be worrying about _that_, too."

"Don't be so dramatic." She looked down at her watch. "Aren't you on your way to P.E.?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," I groaned. "I dread it all day."

"Come on, I'm heading that way; I'll walk with you. Talk to you later, Alice."

"Yeah, see you guys after class." She grabbed her textbook and closed her locker, walking away in the opposite direction.

Rose and I chatted as we walked down the stairs towards the gym until it was time for her to veer off to her health class. I made my way into the locker room to change and was immediately reminded why I hate that class so much.

"Can you believe how fucking hot Edward is looking these days?" Slut 1, or Lauren Mallory as most people called her, asked on the other side of the lockers.

"I _know_, right?" Slut 2, or Jessica Stanley, replied obnoxiously. "There's just no way that Bella's hittin' that right. She looks so frigid. Man, what I wouldn't give for an hour alone with him to show him how it's done!"

Usually I could keep my cool when they started that shit by just imagining Slut 1 & Slut 2 in their little red jumpsuits with their blue hair standing straight up, bouncing around after The Cat in the Hat, but apparently I had finally had enough. Slamming my locker loudly, I marched around the corner, staring them both down with fire in my eyes.

They stared back at me like two slutty deer in headlights. I had always assumed that they shit-talked to piss me off on purpose, but apparently they had never heard that sound traveled.

"Actually sweetheart, he needs _way_ more than an hour. My man likes to take his time, and he sure as fuck doesn't need any schooling from _you_." I stomped off to the gymnasium and managed to channel all my anger into the dodgeballs I spent the next hour chucking. Poor Mike Newton's head may have paid the price a few times, but I felt much better when I was able to put my clothes back on and leave.

Slut 1 and Slut 2 stayed the hell out of my way when we were back in the locker room, but the last ounce of my injured pride reared her ugly head when we walked outside and I saw Edward leaning against the wall waiting for me. I brushed past the both of them and walked straight up to him, shoving him back into the wall roughly and kissing him senseless before he could even speak.

"Oof!" was all he got out before he was moaning in my mouth, gripping me around the waist and pulling me up against him tightly. I slipped my tongue between his lips possessively, owning his mouth as I continued to work out the last of my aggression.

"Oh my God!" Slut 1 or 2 gasped behind me. I couldn't really tell which one it was but at that point I didn't care. "She's practically mouth-fucking him!"

_That's right, skanks. He's fucking __**mine**__, and only I can give him what he wants!_

Wow… apparently I had a possessive streak, too.

As I pulled away I slowly released his lips one at a time, sucking on the bottom one a beat longer than necessary before finally letting him go.

"What the hell was that?" Edward panted once he could actually speak.

"I guess it was me marking my territory," I said with a blush. "Are they gone?" I whispered, not wanting to look behind me.

"Who, Slut 1 and Slut 2? Yeah, they left a while ago." When Edward had first heard my nickname for the girls he had laughed for a good five minutes, and the term had just sort of stuck ever since. "Now what was that about?"

I told him what had happened, feeling more embarrassed by the second as I remembered how I had acted. "I'm really sorry, baby. That was so immature of me."

"Hey, don't apologize. You're only human, and sometimes people can only take so much before they snap."

"Really? You're not mad?"

"Hell no! Not if it ends up with you kissing me like that!" he laughed, hugging me tightly. "Plus… it was kind of hot, seeing you all worked up like that." He grabbed my hand and started walking out to the parking lot. After a few minutes he looked down at me. "Just tell me that you don't actually feel threatened by those two. A little jealousy can be sexy at times, but don't lose touch with reality."

"That's why I feel so silly, I actually don't feel threatened by them. I _know_ you wouldn't give them a second thought. I guess I was just… pissed at their audacity, if that makes any sense."

"It makes more sense than you know," he chuckled as he unlocked the car.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I climbed inside.

He placed his elbow on the door and leaned in closer to look at me. "I mean that every time some other guy even _glances_ at you I want to rip him a new one, and I can never seem to make that feeling stop. I don't understand it, because I love you and trust you more than anyone in the world. I know that what we have is just as important to you as it is to me; you would never risk it. But does that make me any less bothered when some asshole checks you out? Hell no. I get this total caveman urge to scream in his face that you're _mine_, and how dare he even _think_ about it."

"Get in the car," I growled.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is the fact that I can't screw your brains out right here in broad daylight in front of the entire school, so I need you to take me home right… fucking… _now_."

"You got it." He slammed the door shut and ran around to jump in. He didn't say another word, but when he started up the car he looked at me with so much heat that I nearly broke into a sweat.

As he screeched out of the parking lot and tore off towards my house, I realized that we both had some pent up aggression to work out… and I was _really_ looking forward to it.

.

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><p>Next time, we'll see if Professor Cullen makes an appearance!<p> 


	35. Chapter 35

OK, this is super short, but I have been extremely busy and pressed for time this week. I wanted to get something out so you didn't think I forgot you guys, but it stops at the best place to break it before getting to the really yummy stuff.

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><p>.<p>

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"That was _so_ good," I groaned, patting my full stomach as I gestured to the now-empty pizza box. I wiped my mouth off with a napkin and tossed it down on my paper plate. "Thanks for the delicious dinner, baby."

Edward smiled at me from across his parents' dining room table. "I'm glad you liked it. I know it wasn't exactly a gourmet meal, but I never said I could cook."

"Hey, I'm up for delivery whenever you want to order it," I laughed. I looked down at the mismatched scented candle jars that were scattered on the table between us and smiled, knowing that he must have run around the house before I got there, looking for any way to romance up the place. With the overhead light turned off, the glow that they created was actually really pretty. "I like the candles. It's the fanciest pizza dinner I've ever had."

"Stupid, huh?" Although the room was dim, I could still see his blush forming.

"No way, I love it. You're so thoughtful."

I was so excited to finally be there, alone with Edward overnight. Once we had gotten all the details arranged, Friday night couldn't arrive fast enough for either of us. I don't think I remembered one thing I had learned earlier at school, too eager for what would happen later to pay any damn attention.

"Listen Bella," Edward said after a moment of silence, running his hands through his hair nervously. "I've got something I want to ask you."

"So ask me." I smiled at him warmly. To my surprise, he got up and walked around the table, pulling up a chair until he was sitting down right next to me. When he reached out and took my hand in his I felt my stomach drop, suddenly not so sure I wanted to hear what he was going to say. I had a feeling it was either going to be something bad… or something I totally wasn't ready for.

"Bella… these months with you have been the happiest of my entire life. Sometimes I try to think back on what it was like before you and I just… can't. It's like my mind can't comprehend the thought of you not around."

"I feel the exact same way about you," I sighed. As apprehensive as he was making me feel, I could tell that it wasn't something bad. His words conjured up images of the two of us together forever, getting married, having children… growing old with each other. They were thoughts that I'd never allowed myself to have about anyone before, never thinking that I would want any of that, but when I pictured his face there it somehow all made sense.

It was then that I knew that no matter what he was about to ask me or how little I was prepared for it, I would be able to answer him with my whole heart.

"I'm so happy to hear you say that." He took a deep breath and squeezed my hand more firmly. "Bella... will you please go to the prom with me?"

What?

"The prom? _That's_ what you were so nervous about?" For some reason, I felt the strangest mixture of relief and sadness. I had no idea what to make of that, so I shook it off and decided to think about it another time.

"Well… yeah. You never want to go to any of the other school dances; you always say they're stupid and you can't dance, but I really want to take you this time. I want to get dressed up in an overpriced, uncomfortable tux and parade you around on my arm for the entire world to see. Please, Bella? Please don't say no."

I leaned forward and kissed him softly, resting my forehead against his as I pulled away. "You do realize that Alice is going to demand to take me shopping every spare minute I have until we find the perfect dress, right?"

"I know."

"I fucking _hate_ dress shopping." Seriously, it was right up there next to seeing my dad in his underwear for things I'd like to never do again.

"Come on," he pouted, batting those obscenely long lashes at me. "Isn't that a small price to pay for making my dreams come true?"

"Wow, you're really laying it on thick this time. This is going to be worse than Facebook, isn't it?"

Edward didn't say a word in reply; he simply stuck his bottom lip out farther, throwing in a quiver for good measure.

"Oh God, not the lip," I groaned. "Alright," I sighed loudly. "I'll go to prom with you."

"Really?" His eyes shot wide open in surprise before he grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap, showering me with kisses. "Thank you so much, baby! I'll make sure you enjoy it, I promise."

"As long as you'll be there looking sexy, I don't think that will be a problem," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Keeping my hands off you until we're alone might be, though."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," he said with a smirk.

He held me tightly and kissed me senseless, rocking me back and forth in his arms. Slipping his tongue between my lips, he swirled it around and slid it back and forth, completely owning my mouth. I felt his hands slowly creeping up my sides until he was cupping my breasts, flicking my nipples with his thumbs and causing them to swell painfully. I could tell from how heated things were becoming that we were about to get serious, so I put my hand on his chest to stop him before I lost my nerve.

"What's wrong?" he asked, panting lightly.

"It's just that… I have something I wanted to ask you, too."

"What is it?"

"Well, I sort of have this… present… for you. For Valentine's Day. I'm excited about it, but I'm worried that you won't be as into it as I am."

"You aren't going to stick your finger up my ass, are you?"

"What?" I laughed. "No!"

"Thank God. I like to try new things, but I just don't think I'm ready for that one, yet."

"No, you have nothing to worry about there. I'm not ready for that one, either."

"Whew!" he laughed, pretending to wipe the sweat off his brow. "Okay, so what don't you think I'll be into?"

"See, I brought a certain outfit to wear for you. I was just going to put it on as a surprise, but the more excited I got about it, the more I started hoping for some… participation on your part."

"Alright, now I'm officially intrigued. What kind of participation?"

I ran my hands slowly over his shoulders, along his collarbone and up his neck. When they were framing each side of his face, I brought my fingers in closer to drum my nails on the sides of his glasses. "I don't just want you to watch and enjoy," I whispered. "I want you to be Professor Cullen."

"Professor…? What?" I could see the exact moment when it dawned on him. His cheeks turned bright pink and his breathing sped up. "You're talking about that teacher fantasy, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I said, biting my lip. "Is that something you might like to try?"

"You're telling me that you brought a naughty schoolgirl outfit, but you don't want to just dress up for me, you want me to play along, too. Is that right?"

"Exactly."

He blinked a few times and swallowed loudly. "What if I screw it up? I mean, I think it sounds really hot, but I've never done this kind of thing. I'd hate to ruin it for you."

"Edward, you role play every damn night on the computer! There's no way you could screw it up."

"But that's different. That's all magical wizards and shit."

"Jesus, would you rather I dress up like some troll or goblin? Would that make you more comfortable?"

"No," he laughed. "Sexy schoolgirl is much better."

"Good."

He was quiet for a few minutes as he thought about it. "What if I say the wrong thing? I don't really know what you want."

"I don't have some scripted scene for you to act out, baby. I just want this to be sexy and fun." I leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. "Just remember that fantasy you mentioned once about bending me over a desk and spanking my ass. Then… do what comes naturally." I flicked the tip of my tongue around the outer shell of his ear, making him shiver violently.

"_Fuck_," he groaned. When he looked back up at me his eyes were on fire. "Let's go upstairs. You can change in the bathroom down the hall, but don't come in until I say you can."

Mmmm… giving orders already. Me likey.

"Yes, sir."

I grabbed my overnight bag and raced him up the stairs, screeching as he pinched my ass when I cut in front of him.

"Hey! No playing dirty," I pouted, turning to glare at him playfully when we reached the landing.

"Oh, that's _exactly_ what we're going to do, Bella." His voice was so low it was almost a growl. "We're going to play. Really… fucking… dirty."

.

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><p>No way! Even I can't believe I just cock blocked you that bad! ;-) I promise, more to come soon.(pun definitely intended) Hopefully this weekend.<p> 


	36. Chapter 36

OK, here he is, by popular demand... Professor Cullen! ;-)

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><p>.<p>

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I stepped back and took one last look at my appearance in the full-length mirror on the back of the door.

Tiny blue and green plaid skirt: check.

Skin tight white button-up blouse: check.

Dark blue cardigan sweater, also skin tight: check.

Knee-high white socks: check.

Black patent leather Mary Jane heels, borrowed from Alice: check.

Not too shabby, if I did say so myself. The costume itself was actually rather tame compared to the hundreds of sleazy ones I had found online; it was very close to an actual private school uniform, except that mine was much more form fitting. I wasn't sure if I would like the effect; I'd never in my life tried to be so overtly sexy, but once I finally had it on I couldn't help feeling a whole new level of excitement. I couldn't wait to see how Edward reacted to it.

I pulled my hair into two low pigtails, doing my best to drive home the naughty schoolgirl cliché. After doing one last spin in front of the mirror, I looked over my shoulder and flipped up the back of my skirt, smiling at the lacy red lingerie I had bought for Valentine's Day. The bra I had on underneath my shirt matched the panties, and I knew that if I took my sweater off that it would show through the white material.

Hmm… perhaps I would have to find a reason to take my sweater off.

I smiled in the mirror and took a deep breath, reminding myself not to be too nervous as I walked down the hall towards Edward's bedroom. Knocking a bit timidly at first, I tried not to laugh when I heard him swear and shove a few drawers closed.

"Uh… just a minute!" his voice called out, followed by more shuffling noises and his large feet stomping across the floor. I wanted to crack the door and peek in at him to see what the hell he was doing, but he had told me I was to wait outside until he was ready, and I was going to do my best to be a very good girl for him.

Well… good and _naughty_, but good when it came to his orders.

I knocked again, louder that time, and was finally rewarded with his beautiful voice telling me to come in.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Cullen?" I stuck my head in timidly, not entering all the way. I could see that he was sitting at his desk across the room with his back to me, typing on his laptop. After another moment he eventually stopped typing and looked over at his shoulder at me.

I watched his eyes as they bugged out and I swear I heard a choking sound before he composed himself and finally spoke.

"Oh, Miss Swan… yes, please come in."

I walked the rest of the way in and shut the door behind me, nearly stumbling over my own feet when he stood up and I got a good look at him.

Edward was wearing a fucking _suit_. Like, with a tie and everything.

Not gonna lie… I was _not_ prepared for the fucking tie.

"Don't just stand there, Isabella. Have a seat." He gestured to a chair that he had pulled to the middle of the floor, facing his desk. He had never called me Isabella before; I usually hated it, but if he kept saying it all authoritative like that, then I might just change my mind.

"Yes, sir," I whispered, swallowing back my instant arousal at the situation. I walked slowly across the floor, feeling his eyes on me as they drank me in. I took my own sweet time sitting down, and even longer crossing my legs, but when I looked up at him and saw the fire behind his sexy fucking glasses I knew it was worth it.

It took him another moment to speak, as if he'd forgotten what he wanted to say. "Uh… now, Miss Swan, I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here today."

"Yes, sir," I nodded, looking up at him with sad eyes. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that," he answered, waving me off. I watched as he slowly unbuttoned his jacket, taking it off and laying it over the back of his own desk chair, leaving him in just a dress shirt and tie. "I asked you here because I'm concerned for you."

"Concerned? Why?" It was getting really hard to concentrate when he looked so fucking delicious.

"Well, to be honest, it's your grades." He pulled his chair out and turned it around, sitting down to face me. "They're very troubling."

"Troubling? How are they troubling?"

"They've been slipping steadily all semester. Every new test I give you comes back with a lower score." He sighed and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "Is there something going on at home?"

"No, sir," I replied, shaking my head. I couldn't believe how good he was at this; I was really starting to believe it.

"That's what I thought. Now, I know I'm new here, but I've always had the impression that you were a fairly good student. I did some checking, and it turns out that you're getting straight A's in every other class but mine. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know what you mean, sir."

"Oh, I think you know _very_ well, Isabella. You know very well what I mean, just as you know very well what's been going on in class. In fact, I'm willing to bet that if any other professor here gave you the exact same tests that I did, you would pass with flying colors."

"I'm not sure that I like what you are insinuating, Professor Cullen." My breathing was becoming more rapid and I was definitely feeling a little flushed. Edward was fucking _good_ at this!

"Just what is it that I'm insinuating, Miss Swan? I'd love to hear your take on it." His eyes roamed down the length of my legs, so I took that opportunity to uncross them and cross them again the other way.

"It sounds like you're accusing me of throwing my History grade, which makes no sense."

"That's exactly what I thought; it makes no sense at all." He stopped talking for a moment, shoving his hands in his hair. I took advantage of his pause to unbutton my sweater and take it off, knowing that my red bra would show through my tight shirt. I heard him make another choking sound and take a deep breath before continuing, his voice suddenly more gruff. "It makes no sense to nearly throw everything away over a silly infatuation."

"What do you mean, sir?" God, I was loving this way too much.

"Oh, drop the innocent act, Isabella. I'm not stupid; I know about your little crush on me. I see the way you look at me in class. I'm very flattered, but throwing your grade? Were you hoping that I would offer to tutor you at home or something?"

"I don't know," I said with defeat, batting my lashes at him and growing wetter by the second. "I guess I didn't think it through very well."

"No, you didn't," he snapped, looking me straight in the eye. "If you had used even _half_ of those brains you're hiding then you'd have realized that I have absolutely no interest in stupid girls. I prefer intelligent girls who know exactly what they want."

"I know I want _you_," I whispered.

"As I said, I'm very flattered, but I don't know how that's going to save your grade."

Fuck, he was sexy like this. I briefly thought about telling him that he should look into teaching instead of graphic design, but then I remembered that I didn't want him acting this way for anyone else but me.

"Professor Cullen… isn't there _anything_ I can do? You're right; I shouldn't have let this go on for so long. I really don't want to fail the class… I only wanted more of your attention."

"Maybe you aren't as smart as I thought. If you were, you would have realized that getting my attention has never been a problem for you."

"Please, sir… I'm begging you. Give me another chance." I licked my lips slowly, willing him to feel it.

"You happen to be in luck, Miss Swan. I've typed up a list of a few extra credit assignments I'd like you to do for me. Why don't you come over here and take a look?"

"Really? Oh, that would be wonderful!" I jumped up excitedly and practically skipped past him to his desk. When I reached his laptop I began reading through the list entitled Extra Credit for Bella Swan, and what I saw there nearly made my knees go weak from the wave of heat flooding my stomach.

"Are these going to be a problem, Miss Swan?" he asked from behind me, his thick voice giving away his own excitement.

"No," I choked out. "No, sir."

"I'm glad to hear it. Since there's no time like the present and your final grade is due very soon, we might as well get these out of the way now, don't you think?"

"Yes," I panted.

"Yes, what?" he corrected me.

"Yes, sir."

"Very good. Let's get started at number one, then we'll just work our way through the list until we're done. You're going to read off each item, then we're going to do them."

I was already dizzy with desire for him, but nothing was going to keep me from acting that list out. I couldn't believe he'd been worried that he might mess it up. I honestly thought I'd come in the room, call him Sir a few times, get spanked and then we'd screw our brains out. I'd never expected that level of effort and commitment, not for something I'd only dropped on him a little while ago. It made me wonder if he hadn't also been thinking about our little scenario for a while now. Looking at his list again, I didn't have any doubts that he'd pictured us doing this more than once.

"Number one," I read out loud. "Lean over and put your hands on the desk, sticking your beautiful ass out for me to admire." I complied quickly, loving where this was going.

"Very good, Isabella," he praised. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Let's move on, shall we?"

"Number two: Hold perfectly still while I flip your skirt up—_oh_!" I couldn't help gasping when he actually did it, moving behind me so quickly that I hadn't realized he was already that close.

"_Fuck_!" he grunted, breathing loudly through his nose a few times before continuing. "These are some very grown up panties, Miss Swan. I have to admit, I've often wondered what you wear under your sexy little skirt, but I wasn't expecting to find _these_. Were you hoping I might see them one day?"

"Yes, sir," I panted, wondering how the hell I was going to survive this game without throwing him down on the floor and straddling his face.

"You're a dirty little girl, aren't you, Miss Swan?"

"Yes, sir." He was about to find out just _how_ dirty, too.

"That's what I thought. Continue reading, please." He hadn't actually touched me yet, he was only this commanding voice from behind me. Even when he flipped up my skirt, he'd made sure not to touch my heated skin. The anticipation was fucking _killing_ me.

"Number three: Slide your legs wider so that I can inspect how wet your panties are. Until I am satisfied with my findings, you are not to move from your position or turn around." Holy shit, that was going to be hard.

I did as instructed, almost crying out when I finally felt his long fingers sliding up the inside of my thigh.

"Are you wet for me, Isabella?" His breath was hot in my ear as he leaned over me, the closest he had been to me since I'd stepped into the room. I nodded, unable to form words. "You will answer me with 'yes, sir,' or you will be punished, is that clear?"

"Yes!" I gasped. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, I expect to find these panties soaked, otherwise I'll have to assume that you aren't working up to your full potential." As his fingers slid even higher I knew that he wouldn't be disappointed; I was so swollen and worked up by then that my juices had started running down my legs.

When Edward finally closed his fingers over me and felt how sopping wet the fabric was he let out a loud groan. "Christ, you're fucking _drenched_!" He whimpered quietly before forcing himself back into character. "Well, Miss Swan… it appears that you're very eager to please. That's crucial to your final grade. Let's just see how responsive you are; read number four, please."

"Number four: Try not to moan while I fuck you with my fingers. If you disobey you will be punished." Okay, that one was going to be fucking impossible!

Edward pulled my underwear down over my ass and had me step out of them before he tossed them to the side. As soon as my legs were back into position his fingers were on me again, slipping through the swollen, drenched folds easily. I tried to bite my tongue at the sensation of his long fingers sinking inside me, but he only made it more difficult when he started grunting dirty words in my ear.

"You fucking love it, don't you? You've wanted my hands on your hot little pussy from the first day you saw me. I know it's true, Isabella; I've wanted the exact same thing. You want to moan for me, don't you?"

It took me a minute to realize that he actually _wanted_ me to moan. Even though his instructions said not to make a sound, I could tell that he wanted to punish me. Assuming what my punishment would be, I wanted nothing more, either, but I held out as long as I could, trying to make him work for it.

I lasted until he wrapped his other arm around me and shoved his hand down my shirt, squeezing my nipple roughly while grinding his erection against my ass.

"Oh God!" I cried out, throwing my head back against his shoulder.

Before I knew it, Edward had pulled his hands free and shoved me over again so that my ass was sticking out farther. "I'm sorry, Miss Swan, but I need to punish you for that," he growled.

"Yes, sir," I whimpered, throbbing so badly for him that it was driving me insane with need.

The first loud crack came unexpectedly, right down on my bare ass cheek. It wasn't really painful as much as it was shocking, but it left a nice warm sting behind it. Another one followed it quickly on the other side, until he'd built up a little rhythm.

"Have you learned your lesson yet, Miss Swan?" he gritted through his teeth as the spanking slowed, obviously just as turned on as I was.

"Yes, sir," I groaned.

"Tell me."

"I should have just admitted what I wanted from the beginning instead of wasting your time."

"Very good! That's exactly what you did, Miss Swan, but you wasted _our_ time. Think of how long we could have been doing this before now."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Just don't let it happen again. Now read the final item on the list."

I looked at his laptop with eyes that were nearly crossed. "Number five: Tell me that you want my cock inside you. Tell me to fuck you from behind." I moaned loudly before looking over my shoulder at him. "I want your cock inside me, baby!" I gasped. "Fuck me just like this."

"With pleasure, Miss Swan." He unbuttoned his dress slacks quickly and pulled his erection out, sliding it back and forth between my legs, slipping around in the moisture. "God, Bella… you feel so amazing!"

"Don't stop, baby! Please keep going!"

"Shit! I forgot to grab a condom. Fuck, I don't want to move, you feel too good like this."

"I want to feel you like this, too. Please, Edward? I think we'll be okay this one time; I never miss a pill."

"Jesus, I'm a really shitty History Professor, aren't I? Fucking my student with no protection."

"I think you love being bad just as much as I do, Professor Cullen," I teased, getting back into character. "Now why don't you fuck this tight pussy and see how good I _really_ feel?"

"Oh _fuck_!" he cried out, sinking all the way to the hilt. It felt so much more intense, so much closer. I was finally feeling the real him for the first time and it was so much better than I had imagined. Edward grabbed onto my hips and started slamming into me, causing the both of us to moan and scream. "God, baby," he grunted, "I need you so much. You feel so fucking good like this!"

"You do, too!"

He thrust a few more times before pulling away and grabbing me by the shoulders, turning me around to face him. "Sit on the desk, baby. I need to see you right now. I need to look into your eyes when I come inside you for the first time."

I couldn't speak, I was so turned on I could only nod and hop up onto the desk. He repositioned himself between my legs, but before he entered me again he reached up and pulled my shirt off. When he got a better look at the lacy bra that was waiting for him, he groaned even louder.

"Fuck, that lingerie is going to kill me!" He massaged my breasts and squeezed them together, burying his face between them and licking at the exposed flesh. When he pulled back, he lowered the straps until the cups fell forward, causing my breasts to spill out. "Your tits are so fucking perfect."

He sank inside me again as he latched onto one plump nipple, sucking almost painfully as he began to build up a steady rhythm of thrusts and pulls.

"Touch yourself for me, baby," he panted against my lips before kissing me senseless. "I'm so close, and I don't know how long I can hold on." I reached down between us and started circling my clit with my fingers, loving the look on his face when he followed them with his eyes and watched us moving together. "Oh God! You're so slick and hot and tight… look at how you grip me when I push inside you."

I tried to see what he did, but I had a different angle. I couldn't see anything my body was doing to him, but I could certainly see him disappearing inside me over and over again, each time coming out even wetter and shinier than before. It was so erotic and primal, and I fucking loved it.

"Harder, Edward," I begged, rubbing myself even faster. I could feel the tremors starting, and it was feeling so much more intense with him moving inside me. My body felt like it was coiling tighter and tighter until it finally shattered into a thousand pieces. Screaming his name, I threw my head back and started convulsing, shaking all around him.

"Holy shit!" he yelled, pounding into me so fast that he nearly knocked his lamp off the desk. "That feels so much fucking better! I feel you so much, baby… I feel you squeezing me. Oh _fuck_!" He slammed his hips forward a few more times, almost violently, until I felt him exploding inside me. There was a warm rush of fluid, and the only word I can use to describe how it felt was… right. It just felt right.

"Oh my God!" I panted into his neck, loving the feel of his cool silk tie pressing against the heated skin between my breasts.

"Yeah, we are definitely doing that again," he laughed, gasping for air.

"Which part?" I asked. "The roleplaying or the no condom thing?"

"All of it… but especially the last part." He smiled down at me. "I already thought it couldn't possibly feel any better, but now I can't imagine never feeling that with you again. We don't have to do it every time if you think it's too big of a risk, but please tell me we can do that again."

"Edward, there are plenty of women who only rely on the pill and it works just fine. We'll just have to make sure we're careful, okay? And like you said, it doesn't have to be all the time."

"Good. I know it sounds stupid, but I just felt so much more connected to you like that."

"That's not stupid; I know exactly what you mean."

He leaned down and kissed me sweetly, despite the naughty costume I still wore and his disheveled suit. "I love you so much, Bella. I don't ever want to be without you."

"I love you, too… and I'm not going anywhere."

.

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><p>Alright everyone, thoughts? Was he worth the wait? Let me know what you're thinking!<p> 


	37. Chapter 37

Sorry for the delay in updates, but that last chapter really took it out of me!

Now back to the show!

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><p>.<p>

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The best part of staying overnight with Edward was the morning after.

Even with our sexy roleplaying the night before, nothing compared to waking up in his arms. His chest was the warmest pillow and he held me close as we slept, cuddling me tight as if I were a favorite teddy bear that he couldn't fathom parting with.

I had never felt so loved and cherished as I did that morning and I never wanted it to end, but unfortunately my bladder was thinking differently. I hated the fact that my morning pee would not be denied under any circumstances, no matter how much I tried to ignore it. Trying not to wake him, I begrudgingly slid out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom, relieving myself quickly and hoping that the flush would be quiet.

After washing up and sneaking back into bed, I was thrilled to find that Edward hadn't stirred at all. Smiling to myself, I couldn't help wondering if our previous night's exertions had taken a toll on him. Even after Professor Cullen's class had ended, my man stepped up two more times before we finally collapsed on his bed in a sex coma. He kept whispering between each time how he just couldn't stop; that he couldn't get enough of me and he didn't want to waste any of our time alone together.

I swear, it was as if he had been studying a manual entitled The Sexiest Fucking Things You Could Ever Say To Your Woman.  There was just no denying that my boyfriend was something of a sexual wunderkind.

It also didn't hurt that I was head over heels in love with the little shit, either.

There were times, like that very moment, that it physically pained me to look at him. He was so beautiful and amazing that I couldn't help feeling a sense of panic once in a while, wondering how the hell I had gotten so lucky and how long we would be able to make it last. It scared the shit out of me sometimes when I realized that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life, other than be with Edward. So many things felt like going through the motions because they were expected of me, like graduating high school and going to college. I wasn't attached to any of that; I hadn't found my passion in life yet… except for Edward.

He was the one thing that I couldn't give up.

Was that kind of attachment at my age even healthy?

I didn't know, and frankly I didn't care.

All I knew was what I felt in my heart, and my heart wanted Edward forever.

As if his subconscious somehow knew the exact moment I needed reassurance, Edward's eyes slowly opened and he smiled at me sleepily, pulling me against him even tighter. I sank into his warm embrace, immediately feeling better. He needed me as much as I needed him.

Proving the point, he slid his hand down my leg and grabbed the back of my knee, hitching it up over his hip as he slowly rolled over, placing himself between my thighs. His gaze was slightly unfocused as he looked down at me without his glasses, but there was so much love there that I wanted to cry. He leaned down and kissed me, sweetly at first and without regard to our morning breath, but it quickly turned possessive and needy.

I felt him hard and ready, rubbing against me as his hips moved back and forth while we kissed. I spread my legs wider in acceptance and without one word spoken between us, he slid deeply inside me. The only sounds in the room were soft moans and sighs as we proceeded to make slow, lazy love for what felt like the entire morning, but was probably much less than that. We built up a beautiful rhythm, rocking into each other gently as we kissed and touched each other everywhere.

It wasn't until after our bodies had finally given up and shattered around each other that anything was said.

"I love you so much," Edward sighed, collapsing on top of me and laying his head on my chest as we both fought to catch our breath. I stroked my fingers through his silken hair and smiled, both from his lovely words and from the almost ticklish sensation of his lips kissing the skin between my breasts.

"I love you, too."

We cuddled together there for almost another hour, whispering and giggling and doing our best to avoid the fact that it was getting late.

"I should really get going soon," I said eventually, sighing loudly.

"I don't want you to go," he pouted, looking like someone had just kicked his puppy.

"Baby, we really shouldn't push it much longer. I never stay over at Alice's very late, and I still need to clean up."

"I know, it's just that… I wish this was our house and we lived here together. I feel spoiled after having you to myself all night. I don't want this to end."

"I don't, either," I said, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed. "I don't think my poor body could take much more, though," I teased. "I'm already gonna have a hard enough time trying to walk normal in front of my dad."

"Sorry about that," Edward replied with a smirk. "I don't just mean the sex, though. I like this closeness between us. I like you being the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning. I want more of _this_," he said, gesturing between the two of us.

"I do, too," I whispered, leaning over to kiss the tip of his nose before standing up and heading towards the bathroom. "It was only the first sleepover," I called out to him as I turned on the shower. "I'm sure there will be many more in the future." I pulled the curtain closed and began washing my face. Not a minute later it opened again and Edward stepped inside.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Really?" I squeaked, rinsing the soap off my face.

"I've always wanted to shower with you." He looked almost bashful admitting it, and the sight reminded me of the shy, unassuming boy he had once been.

"Okay… but can you keep that thing under control?" I asked, pointing to his already hardening dick. "I wasn't joking about not being able to walk."

"I can try," he laughed, "but I make no promises."

Edward took the soap and started lathering up my body, paying extra special attention to my breasts. He was very thorough, and before I knew it I was covered in suds and his large, slippery hands were absolutely _everywhere_. He washed and rinsed my hair, and I couldn't resist doing the same for him.

The next thing I knew, his erection was slipping and sliding against my stomach as we made out under the hot spray. "Oh, fuck it," I groaned, knocking over the shampoo bottle and propping myself up on the ledge it had been sitting on. Pulling him to me, I wrapped my legs around his waist and guided him to my entrance.

"Are you sure?" he panted in my ear. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I need you, Edward. I'll worry about walking later."

"Oh, thank _God_. I need you, too." He pushed himself inside me, all the way to the hilt in one thrust. He paused long enough to make sure that my answering moan was from pleasure and not pain, then proceeded to fuck me senseless. That time was not slow or lazy, it was the exact opposite. Something between us had grown frantic, and it was as if we were trying to devour every drop of each other before our time alone had to end.

We moved and slid together quickly, increasing our tempo by the second. Before long I felt Edward's hand slipping between our bodies and he ran his thumb over my clit in tight circles, summoning another powerful orgasm from my body until another one just as violent was ripped from his own. He thrust a few more times for good measure, groaning into my neck before he licked at the trickling water there.

"I _need_ this, Bella," he said again, pulling back to look at me with water streaming down his face. "I need more time like this with you… time where we can do whatever we want without worrying about someone walking in on us. Time where we can sit around eating breakfast naked if we feel like it, or spend all day doing nothing but cuddling in bed. I want to fall asleep in your arms every night and see your beautiful face every morning."

"That sounds so perfect," I sighed. "I want that, too, Edward, but we have to be patient. There are still a few months left before graduation, and then we have to figure out what to do about school. I have no idea where our dorms are going to be or when we'll be able to arrange alone time together. If our roommates turn out to be assholes we might be out of luck for a while."

"Let me handle that."

"What does that mean? How are you going to handle it?"

"Just trust me, Bella. There is something I'm working on, and it's probably going to take me a while, but believe me when I say that we are going to make it work." I had no idea what the hell he was going on about, but the determined look in his eye told me not to doubt him.

We dried each other off and got dressed, then I treated Edward to some of my homemade French toast.

"You didn't have to cook for me, baby," he mumbled around another mouthful of food. "I would have taken you to the diner. Mmm, damn this is good."

"I know, but I wanted to. I _like_ cooking for you. Actually, I just like cooking. I like that face people make when they think something I made is really delicious; it makes me feel… I don't know, special or something."

"You _are_ special," he said before slurping down another bite. "And this fucking breakfast is amazing."

"Thank you." I kissed his cheek with a loud smack before grabbing his plate to clean up. He followed me into the kitchen and helped me with the dishes, drying as I washed. When we were all done we knew that we couldn't put it off any longer… it was time for me to go home.

I had considered having Alice pick me up, but I figured that it was late enough in the morning that it really wouldn't matter. Edward dropped me off at my house, but when we pulled into the drive there was a car I didn't recognize already parked there.

"Who's that?" he asked as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"I was just wondering that. Guess I'll go find out." I leaned over and gave him another kiss, loving the way he held on to me a beat too long, as if he just couldn't bring himself to let me go. "Thank you for a lovely night."

"Thank you for staying," he smiled. He waited until I was just swinging the door shut before calling out, "Oh, and don't forget about prom!"

_Crap_. Oh well, I'm sure there were worse things I could be forced to suffer.

I waved goodbye to him as he pulled away and turned back towards my house. Just as I was about to open the door, however, it swung wide open to reveal a sight that I never expected to see.

Sue Clearwater.

With an overnight bag.

Making a hasty getaway.

Or should I say _trying_ to make a hasty getaway.

Her eyes flew wide open in shock, and I don't know if it was from surprise at finding someone on the other side of the door or simply the fact that it was me.

This right here? This was one of those things worse than prom. Nothing was worse than knowing that your dad just got busy with his girlfriend.

"Uh… hey, Sue. Sorry I startled you."

"No, I'm sorry, Bella. I almost walked right into you! I was just… uh… on my way to pick up my kids. They stayed with their grandparents last night. And… uh… Charlie was nice enough to offer me breakfast before I went to get them." I could see that she was sweating bullets, not expecting to get busted by her boyfriend's daughter on her walk of shame.

"No problem, Sue. I totally understand." I was trying to take it easy on her, but I couldn't resist getting in one little jab that let her know I wasn't stupid. "It's a good day for breakfast, isn't it? I just had a whole ton of breakfast with my boyfriend."

"Uh… I… yeah, I gotta go."

"Nice to see you, Sue," I called after her. "Hope you can stay longer next time."

Okay, so I was still a little shit sometimes, but I figured she deserved a little discomfort for all the fucking brain bleach I was going to need to rid myself of the image of her & Charlie getting it on.

When I was inside, Charlie greeted me at the bottom of the stairs, still tucking in his shirt.

_Ewwwwwwww!_

"Was that Edward dropping you off?" he asked, a slight hint of suspicion in his tone.

"Yeah, he took me to breakfast. Alice had to go do something with her family."

"Hmm. Well, that's… _convenient_."

"Wasn't it, though?" I asked with a smile, refusing to rise to the bait. "How's Sue doing? It's a shame she had to rush out of here so fast."

The telltale blush hit his cheeks immediately. "Oh… uh, she's good. She was just… dropping off something I forgot at her house."

"That's funny; she told me that you invited her over for breakfast."

He sputtered and coughed, knowing he was busted. I've got to say I'm proud of the guy, though; he never crumbled. Instead, he went on the offensive. "Yeah, I'd say it's as funny as you leaving with Alice and showing up with a very satisfied looking Edward… not to mention the fact that you're walking funny."

"I could say the same about Sue."

We stared each other down in silence, both of us daring the other to go any further. After almost a minute of our stalemate I finally threw up my hands and sighed.

"Dad… be honest. Do you _really_ want to go down this avenue right now?"

Charlie blinked a few times and slowly shook his head. "No. As a matter of fact, I think it would be in our best interest to forget this morning ever happened."

"Deal."

I grabbed my overnight bag and limped up the stairs, wondering to myself how long it took a bruised cooter to heal.

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><p>Damn those bruised cooters!<p>

Have you ever had that awesome, make you walk funny sex? I remember the first time that happened to me with the hubs; I went to get up and go to the bathroom and almost fell down on the floor! My legs were so weak they kept buckling.

Ahh, good times.


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish it was.

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><p>.<p>

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The next few months were… _interesting_.

The very moment Alice heard that I had officially accepted Edward's prom invitation she decided to reveal that she was actually Satan in disguise. At least, that's the only explanation I could think of for the endless hours of shopping and browsing that Rose and I were subjected to. She brought printouts from the internet to school and made us study them over lunch. She had lengthy debates with herself over what styles really fit each of us best, then expected us to defend her decisions. Whenever she would catch either me or Rose snacking on a candy bar, she would unceremoniously rip it out of our hands and yell about empty calories and the effects of bloating while wearing a formal.

Seriously, that last part pissed me off. Bitch needs her Snickers during Shark Week.

Poor Edward apparently agreed after I snapped at him during a particularly cranky day, because he showed up at my house later that night with pockets full of smuggled treats, then proceeded to massage my lower back when I complained about having cramps.

Sometimes that boy just _got_ me.

He also managed to earn himself a thank-you blow job while he was at it, which I secretly suspected was his goal from the beginning. Whatever; I had my chocolate.

I knew Alice had to be stopped when she began to enter my subconscious. I had fielded so many of her questions about my non-existent opinions that I was starting to hear them in my sleep.

_Heels or flats?_

_Curly or straight?_

_Strapless or the cutest little bolero jacket you've ever seen?_

_Thigh highs or control top?_

_Diamonds or pearls?_

"Alice, that's enough!" I barked one afternoon, finally cracking after hearing '_short and flirty or long and dramatic_'.

"What's wrong?" she asked obliviously, her eyes open wide at my outburst.

"C'mon, Al… you _gotta_ give us a break."

"Thank God!" Rosalie said in a loud exhale from the other side of the lunch table before looking at me. "I'm so happy you spoke first; I was about to throw something at her."

Alice whipped her head around and shot her a wounded look. "Et tu, Brute?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Rose huffed. "Listen, I like fashion and formals as much as the next girl, way more than Bella here, and even _I'm_ at my wit's end with this."

"But… but this is important!" Alice sputtered. "It's our _senior_ prom!"

"I appreciate that, Al," I broke in. "I really do, but _you_ need to appreciate that I don't have anywhere near the budget you're talking about for this shit, and neither does my dad. You've been showing us expensive designer labels when I'm going to be lucky to get some last season off the rack clearance item. I'm sorry that I haven't been very supportive or enthusiastic about this, but it's really hard to get excited about any of this stuff because I just don't see them as options."

She blinked a few times, taken aback for a moment. "I never meant to make you uncomfortable, Bella. Why didn't you speak up sooner?"

"Because there's no stopping you when you get on a roll like this."

"She's got you there, babe," Jasper mumbled over her shoulder. Emmett grunted around his sandwich and nodded his agreement.

When I saw her bottom lip start to quiver I jumped in, hoping to avoid a meltdown. "Hey, I still need your help; there's no way I could dress myself for something like this. I just need you to tone it down a little bit, okay?"

"I agree," Rosalie nodded. "You need to pace yourself. Besides, I know something that you're even better at than planning prom, and that's bargain hunting. I bet Bella could use a few pointers there."

"Ooh!" I knew it would be okay when her eyes lit up like Christmas. "That's true! I can help you find some of this stuff at a fraction of the cost. And what was I _thinking_? I have tons of formals in my closet from holiday dinners with my dad's firm. We should see if you like any of those before wasting money on something you'll only wear once."

"Thanks, Alice." I smiled and patted her on the shoulder, happy to have her off on another tangent. "That sounds great; just promise that you'll take it easier on us."

"Alright," she sighed. "I can't promise not to lose my shit once in a while, but I'll do my best to reel it in before it gets out of hand."

"That's all I ask."

I realized that Edward had been very quiet through our whole exchange, but when I tried to get his attention I noticed that he was having trouble looking me in the eye. When he finally did meet my gaze I smiled at him, but the smile he gave me in return was flat and strained.

_What's wrong?_ I mouthed. His only reply was to shake his head and wave me off like nothing was bothering him, which was obviously bullshit. I shot him another look and arched my eyebrow at him, letting him know that I wasn't that easily fooled and that we would indeed be discussing it later.

He acted distant all through biology, the only acknowledgment I got being a hastily scribbled _we'll talk about it later_ in my notebook.

"I wish you would just talk to me" I whispered as we pulled into my driveway after school. "You're scaring me."

"Bella," he sighed, shoving his hands through his hair. "I feel like a really big asshole right now, and I'm having trouble dealing with it."

"I don't understand. How are you an asshole?"

"_Because_!" he snapped, immediately looking apologetic. I could practically see him counting to ten before he spoke again, much more calmly. "I had no idea you felt that way about prom. Here I've been excited and happy about taking you out in style and the whole time you've been scrimping and saving and worrying about being able to afford any of it. I thought you were at least having a little fun planning that stuff with Alice, then today I find out that you've been feeling left out because you can't get any of the things she was showing you."

"It's not as bad as you make it sound," I said, trying to appease him. "Yes, money's a little tight right now, but I was mostly trying to make her see that she was being ridiculous. _No_ teenage girl should be looking at the shit she was showing us, regardless of her budget. I was trying to bring her back down to Earth and remind her that we can't all just point and say 'I'll have that one.'"

"But don't you see? That's _why_ I feel like a dick. I _can_ do that. I've always been able to; it's all I've ever known. I've always thought I was better than that; I thought I could hang out with anyone because money didn't matter, but it matters a lot to the person who doesn't have any."

"Well, yeah… but it's not like you're some rich snob or something, Edward. You've never looked down your nose at anyone in your life. You were raised better than that."

"That doesn't change the fact that I didn't even _consider_ how much this might set you back. I just assumed everything would be great and perfect because we were going to prom together."

I reached across the car and smoothed his hair back, bringing my hand down under his chin to force him to look at me. "I don't think that makes you a dick, sweetheart. I think that just makes you a guy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"_All_ boys do that shit. They have no idea what it takes for a girl to get ready for prom. Every little thing that has to be bought, all the planning, all the prep work… it's a giant pain in the ass. Every guy thinks it's a piece of cake because they can just stroll into a tux shop and point at a rental and they're good to go."

"I don't think…" he got quiet as a bright blush spread across his cheeks. "Okay, maybe I assumed it was simpler, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm putting all this hardship on you. It doesn't feel right."

"I'm no worse off than most girls my age. There are parents who spend years dreading this." I leaned closer and kissed him softly, hoping to cheer him up. When I pulled away, I noticed a serious look on his face.

"Let me pay for your dress," he whispered.

"Absolutely not."

"But _why_?" he asked with an almost childish whine. "I want you to enjoy this, not spend the entire time worrying about paying for it."

"Because I don't want to feel like a charity case. I'm sure I can find something reasonable now that the fashionista has agreed to back off. Besides, she said that she has a ton of dresses; I might find one of hers that I like even more."

"How is me buying you a dress charity, but her giving you one not?"

"Because I'd only be borrowing it. I'm not looking for any handouts, thank you very much."

"But baby, I really want to do this for you. Can't it just be a gift? What's wrong with me giving you a gift?"

"_No_. I think you're very sweet for offering, but that would make me uncomfortable right now. I also think that might make Charlie feel awkward."

"Why?"

"Think of it from his point of view. You have the rest of your life to give me presents and provide for me, but right now, that's _his_ job. I think his toes might get stepped on a little bit if he found out you paid for my prom dress."

"God, I never considered _that_, either!" he groaned. "I'm such a shit!"

"No. Like I said, you're just a guy. Why don't we go inside?"

"I suppose," he grumbled, finally unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Hey, I know something that might cheer you up."

"What?" His pout was almost comical, but I did my best not to laugh so I didn't offend him.

"Charlie's working the night shift, then he's going straight over to Billy's to go fishing in the morning. He'll be gone all day."

Edward stopped in his tracks, grabbing his phone without even looking at me. I watched as he hit the speed dial, then finally spoke when a voice answered on the other line. "Yeah, Mom? I'm gonna stay the night at Emmett's, okay? I don't know, sometime tomorrow afternoon. Yeah, I'll be by later to grab some clothes; I'm gonna have dinner with Bella first. Okay, I will. Thanks." He hung up the phone and looked down at me with a smirk. "Mom says hi."

"Do you think she actually bought that?" I asked as I unlocked the front door.

"Probably not, but you know her. She'd rather believe the lie than worry about calling me on it."

"Charlie's starting to get that way," I laughed, remembering our ill-fated run in. "It's a lot easier for us to ignore what the other is doing than have to think about it."

Edward smiled down at me wickedly. "So, do you think he's even going fishing tomorrow? I bet Sue needs some company." He finished with a suggestive wag of his eyebrows.

"Eww, gross! I told you to never mention that again!" I ran after him, slapping at his shoulder repeatedly. I chased him all the way up the stairs and he didn't stop running until we were in my bedroom.

Grabbing me around the waist and laughing, he leaned down to kiss my neck. "Sorry, baby. I just had to. Now, how about we get an early start on our overnight?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking… it's been way too long since we had naked pancakes."

"We did naked pancakes last week!"

"Like I said, way too long," he chuckled.

I sighed loudly, rolling my eyes at him. "I'll go mix the batter."

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><p>Ahh, naughty naked times!<p> 


	39. Chapter 39

Okay, this isn't the very last chapter, but it's getting close now.

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><p>.<p>

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"My God, that was amazing!" I gasped, falling back onto the blanket that Edward had laid out on the ground for us.

"Yeah, you weren't too bad, yourself," he chuckled, shooting me a wink.

"I was _talking_ about _me_," I deadpanned. "You were okay, I guess."

"Okay? _Okay_?" Edward scoffed. "I made you come multiple times under this beautiful night sky full of stars, right here in our own private meadow. Not only is that romantic as fuck, but that's _talent_, baby girl."

"I suppose," I sighed, pretending to be bored with the whole subject. "At least you let me change out of that uncomfortable formal before dragging me out here to the middle of nowhere, so I'll give you props for that."

"Believe me, it wasn't easy," he said with a wicked smile. "From the moment I picked you up tonight, all I wanted to do was get under that dress. I fantasized about flipping the skirt up twenty different ways while we were dancing."

"I can sympathize; I felt the same way looking at you in that tux. Most delicious penguin I've ever seen."

Our prom had gone surprisingly well.

Alice actually had a dress that I really liked and by some magical intervention, it fit me perfectly. I was a few inches taller than her, which made the already short dress stop well above my knee, but it was a beautiful midnight blue silk chiffon material that I knew would look good standing next to my gorgeous boyfriend.

Charlie had tried to act hurt that he didn't get to buy me a dress, but he changed his tune quickly when I mentioned that the particular dress I was borrowing probably cost over five hundred dollars when Alice got it the previous summer. After that, he simply smiled and forked over cash for me to buy jewelry and shoes with.

We all got ready at Alice's house, helping each other with hair and makeup and last minute adjustments. Alice had wanted to book us appointments at a salon in Port Angeles, but Rosalie shot her down immediately. Turns out that I wasn't the only one who was strapped for cash by the end of our many shopping excursions. Also, it so happened that Rosalie loved to style hair. By the time we were all done, we looked like we had shelled out a ton of money for a professional stylist.

Alice's mother had special ordered her a dress from some New York designer. It was lavender taffeta and crinkled like money when she walked, which I thought was more than appropriate considering the outlandish cost. She looked like a movie star and was absolutely glowing, however, so I'm willing to bet that her parents thought it was worth it.

Rosalie, on the other hand, didn't spend a fraction of that cost on her own dress, yet still managed to look like some sort of Grecian sex goddess. She was all curves and legs and sensuality in floor-length emerald green satin, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind who would be crowned as Prom Queen.

Our dates picked us up at the same time, even though we were all riding separately, so that Mrs. Brandon could get a ton of group pictures of us looking fancy before we left for the night. We had talked about getting a limo and riding together, but since we all kind of wanted our own private date time before we got to the dance, we voted on driving ourselves. Emmett's father even loaned him his Mercedes for the night, which was a really big deal.

Edward was so stunning in his tuxedo that he took my breath away, and when he presented me with a single pale pink and white orchid on a wrist corsage, I had to wipe a few tears out of my eyes. It was one of the loveliest things I'd ever seen, and I was so touched that he'd put so much thought into our evening.

We waved our goodbyes and took off towards Port Angeles for dinner, making a brief stop at the police station on our way out of town so that Charlie could see us all spiffed up. He had one of his deputies take a few pictures of the three of us together, then hugged me to him so tightly that I couldn't breathe.

"What gives?" I asked him. "You've never been the hugging type."

"I can't help it, Bells," he answered slowly, sounding a little choked up. "You're just so grown up now. I'm losing my little girl."

"Jeez, it's only _prom_, Dad." I rolled my eyes at his silliness, but inside I was secretly about to get weepy.

He shot Edward a funny look before clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Uh… I know. You gotta give your old man a little break once in a while, though. This is… a lot to take in."

"Once again, it's just me in a pretty dress and some make up. I know that doesn't happen often, but you don't have to act like it's the end of the world."

I gave him another hug before we left, chuckling to myself at how awkward he was behaving. I noticed that Edward shook his hand a little longer than normal as I walked to the car, their heads bent together in discussion.

"What was all that about?" I asked him when he finally joined me in the Volvo.

"I was just promising him that I plan on taking very good care of you."

"Ooh, is that so?" I purred, leaning over to nip at his earlobe. "I know a way you could take care of me right now."

"Bella, behave," he growled, shooting me a heated glance. "It's already taking everything I have to keep from pulling over somewhere and ravishing you. You look so beautiful I can hardly stand it."

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that we have dinner reservations in less than an hour; we need to get going, baby. I want to make this night special."

"Oh, alright, Mr. Sensible," I huffed, crossing my arms with a fake pout. I'd only been half serious, anyway. There was no way I was about to mess up my hair or make up; Rosalie would have skinned me alive.

I expected that we would just eat at Bella Italia again, but I was pleasantly surprised when Edward took me to an elegant French restaurant called C'est Si Bon, where I had the most luscious meal I'd ever eaten in my entire life. I found myself wanting to sneak into the kitchen and beg them to tell me how they made the steak melt in my mouth like that, but I figured that it might be a bit off track for our romantic evening together.

Maybe next time, because I was _definitely_ eating there again.

When we made it back to the high school, prom was already in full swing. Jasper was parading Alice around on his arm like the perfect gentleman, stopping to talk at nearly every table so that he could show off his beautiful date properly. Emmett and Rosalie requested every sexually suggestive song they knew and spent almost an hour grinding and slithering together on the dance floor; it would have been gross if they hadn't looked so damn good doing it.

Edward was the perfect date, as if I'd ever expected otherwise. He was sweet and attentive, not afraid to get out and dance with me, but also totally fine with just sitting and talking for a while. He didn't feel the need to be 'on' all night, like Emmett and Jasper obviously did; he was perfectly content with just having me near him. There were a few moments where he seemed preoccupied and nervous about something, but whenever I would ask about it he would simply smile and kiss me, making me forget my own question.

When the dance was over we made our way back to Alice's house to change out of our formals and grab our overnight bags. Emmett's parents had authorized a post prom party for all of us, but rather than inviting the whole damn class like he usually did, he kept it between the six of us. It wasn't a luxury hotel or anything, but we all planned on taking advantage of the fact that his parents slept like the dead. We watched movies and played some music for a while, but when the coast was clear Edward brought me my jacket and escorted me out the side of the house for a silent getaway.

Which brought us back to our meadow.

We had returned a few times since Edward's infamous deflowering, and it always held a special place in our hearts. It was even better since the weather had turned warmer, and we couldn't have asked for a better night for our outdoor shenanigans. I figured it would start pouring down rain on us the second we stepped out of the car, but so far we had been lucky.

"You look so beautiful like that," he whispered in the darkness. "Like a woodland fairy… or a nymph. Yes, I like that better. My little nymph." I was completely naked except for my wrist corsage, which I couldn't bear to part with even though I had changed out of my dress hours before that. I also couldn't bring myself to wash off my make up or take my hair down yet, which a sane person might say is proof positive that sometimes I actually _liked_ dressing up.

"Well, if I'm your nymph, does that make you my satyr?" I teased.

"Mm, yes, definitely," he smirked. "Why don't you come play my flute?"

"That's not a flute," I laughed as he pulled my hand towards his reawakened groin.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I bet if you put your lips on it, it would make beautiful music."

"That's not music, baby. That's just you moaning."

"Oh. Well, damn. It was worth a shot."

We cuddled together for a while, laughing and kissing as if we were the only two people left in the world. Looking up at the vast sky above us, it was easy to imagine.

I had almost drifted off to sleep in his arms when I felt Edward shaking me lightly. "Bella… baby wake up."

"Do we need to leave already?" I mumbled against his warm chest before yawning loudly. "I thought we had most of the night."

"No, that's not it. I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay."

"Here, let's sit up." He gave me his hand and helped me sit up to face him. It was then that I finally noticed the almost panicked look on his face.

"Should I be worried, Edward? Is this something bad?"

"No, it's good." He gulped loudly. "At least, I _hope_ it's good. I've wanted to talk to you about this all night, but it never felt like the right time. Now I think I've just been putting it off out of nerves."

"So talk."

"Okay…" he paused to take a deep breath. "You know I love you. More than anything else in the world, right? You honestly believe that?"

"Yes," I answered with no hesitation. "I feel the exact same about you. Why?"

"I just want to make sure you keep that in mind." He smiled nervously and took my hands in his. "Now, I know I'm young; we _both_ are. I also know that every single person in the world is going to tell us how the odds are stacked against us and we have our whole lives ahead of us. I know that you're my first serious girlfriend and we haven't even been together for a full year yet. I know every reason that anyone could ever throw at us to wait, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference when I think about what I want."

"What do you want, Edward?" I whispered, my voice getting stuck in my throat. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he was making me worry with his serious tone.

"What I want is for you to be my wife… for the rest of our lives."

"What?" I gasped, watching as he reached behind him under the edge of the blanket and pulled out a little velvet box. He slowly opened it, revealing a beautiful diamond solitaire in a platinum setting.

"Marry me, Bella. I know it sounds insane, but I just don't work without you. I wouldn't even want to try."

"But… what about college? How would we make that work? There's no way either of us could handle a full time job and keep our grades up."

"We wouldn't have to. Listen, I haven't gone into this lightly. I've tried to look at it from every angle, and my parents are willing to help us out as long as we stay in school."

"Help us, how?" I asked, still staring at the diamond ring, as if it might prove itself to be a mirage if I looked away.

"They own a condo in Seattle, not very far from U-Dub. They've had it for years, and it just sits there empty most of the year. They have agreed to let us live there while we go to school. We wouldn't owe any rent because it's already paid for, and we would actually save everyone a lot of money by avoiding all the extra dorm fees."

"They're actually okay with this?"

"They are now. It took a while; I've been working on them for a weeks. They're still not thrilled with the idea of us marrying so young, but they know I'm dead serious about it, and I won't change my mind. I guess they figure that at least with their help, we might have a decent chance of staying in school."

"How did you convince them?" I asked in a daze, unable to believe I was really having that conversation; it felt so surreal.

"The same way I convinced Charlie."

"_Charlie_ knows already?"

"Of course; you didn't think I would ask for your hand in marriage without asking his permission first, did you? I wanted to make sure that he was on board before I popped the question."

"That's why he was acting so weird earlier, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I thought he was going to slip up and ruin the surprise for a second, there."

"So what did you say to him? How did you manage to get him on your side?"

"Well, it's not that he's on my side as much as he believes I've thought this through carefully. I went to him and explained what I wanted and my parents' offer of the condo. I told him that we both wanted to live together and I would much rather do it with you as my wife. I told him that whether we did it now or four years from now when college is over, I still had every intention of it happening, so I didn't see any reason why we should wait. We both know that we are it for each other; I have no interest in dorm parties and joining a fraternity or meeting new girls. I told him that I was only interested in two things: graduating college and starting my life with you, and I wanted to do both as soon as possible."

"And what did he say?" Somehow I choked the words out around my tears.

"Believe it or not, he was actually easier to convince than my parents were. I don't think he was very happy about it, but he allowed me to state my case. When I was finished he told me that he wasn't really that surprised; he said that he knew we would end up together after the first time he saw us with each other. He said that he was proud of me for putting so much thought into it, and that he respected the fact that I came to him first. He didn't say it, but I think he's also happy that I don't want us living together without being married first. I know it's old fashioned, but I just don't see the point. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Why should I wait to make you mine forever?" He reached out and set the ring box in the palm of my hand.

"This is really happening, isn't it?" I'm absolutely blown away by everything he's just shared with me.

"It is if you'll have me. Will you have me, Bella? Will you make all of my dreams come true and marry me?"

"But… we're naked!"

"What?" he asked, shaking with laughter.

"I can't _believe_ you just said the most beautiful things I've ever heard and we're both sitting here buck naked!" I leaned forward and slapped his arm. "What kind of an engagement story is that to tell people?"

"You don't have to mention the naked part," he said with a smile. "Besides, this way you'll always remember it." He scooted closer and kissed me sweetly on the lips. "Does this mean you're saying yes?"

"I don't know; why don't we see if the ring fits first?"

"You live to be a pain in my ass, don't you?" he chuckled as he pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it over my third finger. Of course it was a perfect fit; just like Edward.

"I sure do. I'm going to be a pain in your ass for the rest of your life."

"Is that a yes?" His eyes had grown as big as saucers and he was holding his breath.

I nodded quickly, wiping at my tears. "Yes, Edward. You're the only life that I ever want to know."

He let out a loud whoop and threw his arms around me, tackling me down to the ground. We covered each other with kisses that quickly turned passionate, and when I opened my eyes again he was looking down at me as he placed himself at my entrance.

"I can't possibly tell you how happy you've made me," he panted between kisses. "But I _can_ show you the benefit of naked engagements." With that, he slid deep inside me and proceeded to prove his point.

Very, _very_ well.

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><p>*sniff, sniff* I just love these kids.<p>

I know some of you might groan and roll your eyes at such a young engagement, but that is one thing I wanted to keep canon from the beginning. Except this time Bella isn't stupid about not wanting to marry him. "Gee, Edward, I want you to commit to me forever and make me your vampire mate for all eternity, but I couldn't possibly sign a piece of paper and make it legal!"


	40. Chapter 40

Who's ready for some nuptuals? :-)

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><p>.<p>

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Know what's worse than having Alice plan your prom?

Having Alice plan your wedding.

I wasn't stupid; I knew it was going to be a pain in the ass, but I also knew that nobody else in the world could throw together a function as fast as Alice Brandon.

We only wanted a small get-together at Edward's house and we didn't want to go crazy, but I had absolutely no idea where to start and we wanted to do it in August before we went away to school. Therefore, I enlisted the help of Satan herself once again, making her swear on a smoking bible that we wouldn't let things get so crazy this time. Silly me.

I have to give her credit and say that she was much more mindful of prices, although Carlisle and Esme sat down with me and my dad in the beginning and explained that they would be happy to cover any expenses that we couldn't handle. They told us how they had wanted to pay for the whole thing, knowing how hard it might be to arrange some last minute details, but that Edward had mentioned to them that they must not leave Charlie out and to consult with him first. After crunching some numbers, Charlie offered to pay for my dress and veil while the Cullens were going to focus on the decorations and the reception. And probably everything else, including the honeymoon.

It was the first time I'd ever consciously been thankful that my fiancé had money. I normally never thought about it, but I knew that my dad was already worrying about paying for my tuition at school; he didn't need the cost of an entire, albeit small, wedding on his shoulders. I knew that he would have been offended to be cut out of it completely, though, so I had never been more grateful to Edward for speaking up on his behalf.

Once the entire thing was greenlighted, I brought in Alice and Rosalie to help with planning. Well, Alice mainly to plan and Rosalie to keep Alice in line. Of course, they only agreed to help after nearly an hour of my swearing up and down that I wasn't pregnant.

"Bullshit, Bella," Rosalie had barked over our food at the diner, shaking her head at me. "No _way_ you aren't knocked up."

"Keep your voice down!" I said, looking around our table quickly.

"Just admit it, Bella," Alice whispered. "We want to be there for you, but we can't plan this properly if we don't know what to expect. I can't have you in a skin tight dress if you're going to have a five month bump going on by August."

"Guys, I'm serious! We're always careful about that."

"Oh, come on!" Rosalie groaned. "The only two reasons a girl gets married at eighteen are either because she's saving herself for marriage and her boyfriend's sick of waiting, or she's already got a bun in the oven. Now, I know for a _fact_ you're not a blushing bride, so you might as well just tell us when you're due."

"It's really not like that. Edward just knows what he wants and doesn't want to wait. He had to convince us all, including me, that this would work, but I can't imagine not being with him forever. The more reality sinks in, the more excited I am to start my life with him. _However_…" I stressed, looking back and forth at them. "I'm not ready to have kids yet. I'd like to be out of college first."

"Thank God," Rosalie sighed. "That's the smartest thing you've said since we sat down."

"I think it's all romantic," Alice said with a dreamy look in her eye. "Now that we know this isn't because you have to, I think this wedding sounds like a fairy tale!"

"Well, I'm happy to hear you're on board, but I don't want to be walking down the aisle in Disneyland, okay? I just want a small, tasteful ceremony for family and close friends."

"No, no, no, I wouldn't dream of it," she said excitedly, waving her hands around in the air. "Oh my God, we have so much to do! We should discuss colors first… no, wait! Your dress! No… the cake!"

Rose simply shook her head and arched her eyebrow at me, silently asking if I realized what I had just unleashed upon the world.

Somehow we made it through without too many scratches, although I was sorry to realize that some things that should have been more important got lost along the wayside. I barely remembered graduation; it was just another day among all the crazy wedding plans, only I wore a stupid cap and gown and listened to some boring speeches. I felt bad when I looked back on it, knowing that it should have been a bigger deal and in any other life where I wasn't planning to get married, it would have been. Hell, my own _mother_ didn't even attend in order to save money for her flight up in August for the wedding.

Emmett still managed to have his ultimate graduation party at his house, however, with just about the entire class crammed in his basement and spilling into his back lawn. He and Jasper sat Alice down and made her promise to leave all planning books and bridal magazines at home for one night, though, or else they weren't going to allow her to come. When she huffed and tried to pout, Jasper actually put his foot down and told her that he wouldn't be taking her anywhere any more if she couldn't give them at least one night to just have fun and be kids.

Sometimes I loved that damn stoner.

Edward and I enjoyed ourselves, playing games and chatting with friends late into the night. We decided to make ourselves scarce when they started playing the Single Game again, choosing instead to slip away unseen into the closet that had been the scene of our very own seven minutes in heaven.

"I can't believe I finally have you back here," he whispered against my ear in the dark. He seemed to want to recreate our first encounter, because the first thing he'd done after locking the door was turn out the light.

"We hang out in this basement all the time. If you wanted to get me back in here so badly, why did you wait until now?"

"I don't know… it's usually just the six of us. That makes it a lot harder to sneak away."

"You want to be naughty at a party again, don't you?" I giggled.

"Yeah," he confirmed, his voice suddenly growing husky. He backed me up against the wall of shelves, pinning me against it with his rapidly hardening body. "Only this time, I know what I'm doing… and I have _no_ intention of coming in my pants in thirty seconds."

"Oh really?" I panted against his hot mouth.

He slid his hands down underneath my skirt and grabbed my ass, lifting me up to perch me on the shelf. My legs wrapped around him automatically, knowing where they were meant to be. I felt his hand reaching between us, cupping me against my underwear.

"Believe me," he growled, "the only one coming in thirty seconds around here is you." With that, his fingers slipped under the material and began stroking my wet flesh, knowing exactly where and how to touch me. He swirled and flicked at my clitoris with his thumb while sliding two long fingers deep inside me, curling them up to rub that spot he knew drove me absolutely crazy.

"Oh shit!" I cried out, burying my face against his neck.

"Quiet baby," he whispered, unable to hide the smirk in his voice. "You don't want everyone to hear, do you?" I dug my teeth into his collarbone after the first tremor shot through me. "Better keep it down, or else everyone will know what a dirty girl you really are." I started shaking more violently, feeling his touch so deep that I didn't know if I would ever feel the same again. I bit down harder, eliciting another delicious growl from him. "That's it, baby. That's my dirty girl. Come for me. Come for me so I can give you my cock."

I was already there before he even said the words, shattering into a thousand pieces and doing my best to keep from screaming. The next thing I knew, Edward was unzipping his jeans and yanking my panties to the side, groaning deeply as he sank inside me.

"Oh God," he gasped. "I shouldn't have said I'd last longer than thirty seconds… you feel fucking _amazing_." He ended his sentence with a deep thrust, pushing me harder into the shelves. It hurt where the wood was digging into my back, but the pain was _oh-so-worth-it_.

"Edward… don't stop!" I panted, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him into me for a fiery kiss. We moved against each other, grinding together furiously in our tight, enclosed space. His hands dug into my ass roughly as he pulled me harder against him, causing me to feel every thrust and drag of his swollen cock.

Neither one of us lasted very long, Edward only managing to hang on until he felt my body beginning to squeeze him from the inside. We both rode out our releases with awkward fumblings and muffled curses, clinging to each other in the dark. When we finally caught our breath, Edward slowly lowered me to the ground, helping to steady me as I stood on wobbly legs.

I took a few steps and winced at the squishy feeling between my legs. Edward chuckled sheepishly and ran his hands through his hair.

"Sorry baby; I should have brought a towel or something for you to clean up with. I guess I didn't think that far ahead."

"No biggie," I sighed. "Now that I think about it, I kinda like the thought of walking around with you dripping down my thighs and nobody knowing but you."

Okay, we all know I intended to go straight to the bathroom and take care of things, but the _notion_ was still sexy to me.

"_Jesus_ baby," he exhaled loudly. "How the hell do you keep finding ways to drive me insane? Now I have to think about that all night until I can have you again."

"That was the idea," I said with a wicked smile.

Edward hugged me tightly and laughed. "Bella… I just can't believe that I get to keep you forever. In less than three months we'll belong to each other for the rest of our lives."

"We already _do_ belong to each other… this will just make it official."

"I can't wait," he whispered, leaning down to kiss me sweetly. "Right about now, official sounds pretty damn good."

And on a warm Saturday afternoon in the middle of August, that's exactly what we became.

Alice actually outdid herself, managing to make me _feel_ like a fairy princess while looking elegant and tasteful at the same time. My dress was beautiful and simple, just like the ceremony. The flowers and decorations inside Edward's house were understated but breathtaking, and the back yard was a better setting for the reception than I had ever imagined.

Edward had stood at the end of our makeshift aisle with Emmett and Jasper by his side, looking so beautiful in his dark suit that I wanted to cry. Rosalie and Alice led the way as I walked to him, and as Charlie gave him my hand I noticed that I wasn't the only one with tears welling in my eyes.

We said our short vows in front of a small gathering. My mother and her husband Phil were there, as well as some of the deputies from the police station. Billy Black was there with his annoying son Jake, but at least the goober was decent enough to wear a shirt this time. Sue Clearwater sat next to Charlie with her two children Seth and Leah, who it struck me at that moment could very well end up my step-siblings if things progressed any further.

Edward had family fly in from places as far as Alaska and Ireland, proving to me that money and gorgeous features were apparently a genetic trait they all shared. He had so many beautiful cousins it made my head spin.

When the officiant pronounced us man and wife and told Edward to kiss the bride, his eyes lit up brighter than the sun. It all seems like a blur to me now when I try to remember it, but I know that his lips were gentle, sweet and strong as they claimed me as his wife. I remember feeling lightheaded and on the verge of tears again, but they were the happiest tears I had ever shed.

We laughed and danced and sang in the back yard as we ate our catered food. Emmett gave a groan-worthy toast that surprised us all by ending up rather heartfelt, explaining how Edward was always there for him when he needed him most and thanking him for the opportunity to finally be there for him for a change. Rosalie actually cried at that one, kissing Emmett soundly when he returned to his chair. Jasper was amazingly sober for most of the night, slipping the best of his stash instead to Alice because he claimed that she needed 'major calming down' and he wanted to stay straight to keep an eye on her. This made her a very uncharacteristically mellow girl for the duration of the wedding, sparing us all from her hyperventilating and panic attacks that usually came from one of her planned events.

Charlie drank a bit too much and promised to let Sue drive him home, but not before hugging me tightly and whispering in my ear that I would always be his baby girl.

As the evening wrapped up, Edward and I said our goodbyes to all of our loved ones before making our way to the airport and our honeymoon in Hawaii. One of the few things that I do remember clearly about that night was the way that Edward held my hand as our plane began to lift off. He squeezed it tightly until I looked up at him, and when his beautiful green eyes met mine through those damn sexy glasses, it was like he was staring deep into my soul.

"Ready for the rest of our lives, Mrs. Cullen?" he whispered.

I smiled at him brightly, raising our joined hands to my lips and kissing the back of his fingers."More ready than you could possibly imagine."

.

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><p>*sniff, sniff* Not gonna lie, I'm gonna miss these two and writing this had me wiping my eyes a little bit.<p>

We're almost done now, only an epilogue to go.


	41. Chapter 41: Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

_**Six years later…** _

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"McKenna, are you back from break yet? I need to get going!" I huffed, wiping the sweat off my brow with the back of my arm before squeezing more frosting onto the cake I was decorating. When I glanced down at my arm, I saw a long streak of chocolate frosting running up my sleeve, which could only mean one thing. Turning to look at my reflection in the shiny surface of the freezer door behind me, I could make out a huge smear of dark fudge right across my forehead. "Son of a bitch!" I grumbled to myself. "That's just great. _McKenna_!"

"Sorry, Bella!" the perky redhead called out as she ran in the back door and headed to the time clock. "I was grabbing a quick cigarette in the alley. Guess I didn't hear you."

"I thought you quit that shit," I said as I wiped at my face with a clean towel.

"I did," she said with a smile, pointing to a spot of frosting that I'd missed. "Now I only have one when I'm really stressed out or after really good sex."

"It hasn't been that stressful in here today; just a little busy."

"I know." She smiled wickedly. "My new boyfriend took me to lunch."

"Ewwwww!" I cried out. "TMI! Go wash your hands!"

"Yes, boss," she replied, blinking her lashes innocently at me. "You know," she called over her shoulder as she scrubbed her hands at the sink, "I'd hate to point out all the times you've been running late for _your_ shift and showed up covered with hickeys, Bella."

"What? I have _no_ idea what you're talking about!" We looked at each other for a moment before breaking out into a fit of loud giggles. It wasn't until we had both calmed down that I spoke again. "Listen, normally I wouldn't care at all, it's just that I _really_ don't want to be late tonight." I finished decorating the cake as I spoke, piping on the lettering in a bright blue buttercream.

"Oh God!" she gasped. "I _totally_ forgot about your big night!" She stood next to me and looked down at the cake. "Wow… he's going to love it."

"Think so?"

"Of course! It's gorgeous, for one, and I'll bet it's yellow and fudge marble, isn't it?" When I nodded she laughed again. "I knew it! Why _wouldn't_ he love it? You're giving him all of his favorite things in one cake."

"You don't think the wording is too cheesy?" I asked, biting my lip nervously.

"We _are_ talking about the same guy, right?" McKenna teased. "There's no such thing as too cheesy or too sweet or too romantic when it comes to him. You have _nothing_ to worry about; he's going to love it."

"You're right," I sighed. "Thanks, hon."

"No problem." Just then the phone rang loudly, interrupting our conversation. "I'll grab that. You go get cleaned up and box that cake up so you can get out of here."

"Thanks again," I said, untying my apron strings. She merely waved me off as she picked up the phone.

"Thank you for calling _Bella's Bites_, this is McKenna speaking. How can I help you?" As I listened to her take an order for an assortment of our gourmet cupcakes, I couldn't help but wonder what I would have done without her.

McKenna was my assistant manager and the only person I trusted to bake my recipes when I wasn't working. We had met in school while I was studying culinary arts and baking at The Art Institute of Seattle and always kept in touch. When she learned that I was opening my own bakery, she quit her job as a line cook at a local restaurant and joined me full time at my request.

It was a decision that I had never regretted.

I had been on quite a roll with making good decisions, actually. I'd only lasted about three months at U-Dub before admitting that I was miserable. As much as I loved going to the same school as Edward and our friends, it wasn't enough to convince me that I wasn't wasting my time. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life and I felt like I was throwing my family's money away on classes that I had no interest in. The only fun I ever seemed to have was whenever Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper would come over to our place for dinner on the weekends. I would spend all day copying recipes from Food TV shows and making crazy desserts and they would all rave over the results.

It was Edward who finally did me a favor by sitting me down one night in our bedroom and suggesting that I look into culinary schools in the area. He explained that it was obvious my true joy was cooking and baking and he felt that I would be cheating myself if I didn't explore it more fully. I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to move in at first, whether I wanted to be a chef or a baker, so when I transferred schools I started out by taking beginner's classes in both areas. It didn't take long for me to start gravitating to the baking side, loving the thrill of coming up with pastries, cakes and pies that earned me high praise in my classes.

It wasn't easy; there were many nights that my kitchen at home was covered in flour and sugar and Edward would find me curled up in a heap, crying on the floor. On nights like that he would just scoop me up and carry me into the bedroom, doing his _very_ best to cheer me up and distract me for a bit. He always stood by me no matter how neurotic I got over each new project, and I could always count on him to be an honest taste-tester.

I was thrilled to be able to repay his favor when I noticed that The Art Institute also had a Graphic Design program. For some reason, neither of us had ever thought to check out the school when we were looking around and it turned out to be perfect for both of our needs. Not only was it great to be going to the same school again, but Edward was able to excel in his field in no time without so many other subjects to worry about.

Just like our life together, once we knew what we wanted, there was no stopping us or distracting us from our goals.

By the time I earned my degree, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to open my own bakery. However, I had been worried about getting a loan for the business… until we went home for a visit and mentioned my plans to my in-laws. As soon as Carlisle heard what I wanted to do, he immediately offered to be a silent partner, his only request being that I offered monkey bread.

That was how, when we opened _Bella's Bites_ six months later, _Carlisle's Favorite_ became a permanent staple on my menu. I had tweaked the recipe a bit to make it my own and offered it in either whole loaves or single servings, which never failed to sell out. I also featured a variety of cupcakes, pies and pastries that I rotated seasonally, as well as the occasional special order cake.

Carlisle actually turned into a _not_-so-silent partner, spreading the word about my business to all of his colleagues in the Seattle area. Esme quickly followed suit and mentioned me to her clients, and before I knew it I was catering large events, making wedding and birthday cakes for children of the most respected doctors in the city. It turned out that I had referral hook-ups everywhere; Alice had even become a rather successful party planner and always dropped my name when a fancy cake or dessert was needed.

"Alright, McKenna, I'm heading out," I called to her as I grabbed the signature pink box that held my cake. "Charlotte and Maggie are watching the counter, so let them know if you need anything."

"Okay; have a great night!" she said excitedly as she pulled a fresh pan of cookies out of the oven. "I expect some details tomorrow!"

"I bet you do, _perv_!" I laughed, pushing the door open with my hip to the storefront area. As I walked behind the counter towards the front door, I overheard my part-timer Charlotte helping a customer.

"Do you have any idea who did the adorable logo for this place?" The woman asked her as she picked up her box of pastries, pointing to the picture on the box. "I have a niece who is starting up her own business, but she can't find anything she likes."

Charlotte looked like a deer in headlights. "Uhh… well…" I had told her all of this before, but she was new and still absorbing everything.

"Absolutely!" I jumped in with a smile. "I've got his card right here, and if you tell her to mention this place he'll give her a discount." I grabbed a _Cullen Designs_ card from its holder by the register and handed it to the woman.

"Oh, that's _wonderful_!" she sighed. "My niece will be so happy."

"I'm sure she will," I nodded. "He's the best."

I waved goodbye to the two girls up front and continued on my way out the door towards the Volvo parked outside. With us both having our own businesses a second car had become a necessity, and since there was no way my old truck was going to work, Edward had convinced me to get a Volvo, too. I hated to admit it, but I really loved the thing.

I drove home, another swell of nerves rising up as I glanced at the cake box in the seat next to me.

"He's going to love it," I whispered to myself. "He's going to love it."

We still lived in the same condo that Carlisle and Esme let us use in college, but we loved it so much that we were in the process of buying it off them. I pulled the car into our assigned space in the attached parking garage and made my way to the elevator, my cake in tow.

"Babe?" I called out as I opened the door.

"Back here!" I heard him yell from the dining room. I stopped off in the kitchen and hid the cake in the fridge, setting my purse down on the counter before heading down the hall. The closer I got, I noticed a warm glow lighting the room. When I turned the corner, it was to find my beautiful husband standing behind the candlelit table, holding his arms open.

"Happy anniversary, baby," he said with a huge smile.

"Oh my God, did you make dinner?" I had fully planned to make us something once I got home, but the table was already set with a lovely meal for two.

"No," Edward blushed. "I'm good, but I'm not _that_ good. I didn't want you to have to cook today, and I figured you'd be too tired to go out after working all day, so I picked up take out for us."

"Awwww… that was so _sweet_!" I rounded the table and gave him a huge hug, loving the tender kiss he planted on me when I pulled away. The man still had the ability to make my body sing with the slightest effort on his part. "What a nice surprise."

We sat down and had a wonderful dinner together, telling each other about our day as we ate. I mentioned the woman I'd given his card to, and he thanked me for another potential customer. Somehow, with as risky as starting a business could be, we were both thriving.

"I can't believe it's already been _six_ years," he mused, leaning across the table to kiss me again.

"I know; it's gone by so fast."

"The best six years of my life, sweetheart. I'm so happy we've been in this together. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

"Me, either. Um… I made us dessert," I said as I started to clear the plates. "Don't get up, though. I'll bring it in."

"Great! It wouldn't happen to be a delicious cake, would it? Or maybe a new pie?" His wide smile made a warm glow spread through my chest. Edward never seemed to lose any excitement over my treats, even though Emmett had needed to help him shed more than a few unwanted pounds from them over the years.

Me too, actually. Just thinking about it made me groan. He'd turned into a real hardass personal trainer after he'd opened his own gym the year before, but I kept him in free cupcakes and cookies and he kept me from going up any dress sizes.

Well, for now. There wasn't much he'd be able to do about that in a little while.

I quickly loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and grabbed the cake out of the fridge. As I took it out of the box I fought back one last burst of nerves, telling myself that I was being silly. Taking one last deep breath, I made my way back down the hall.

"Here we go," I said with a smile as I entered the dining room.

"It _is_ a cake!" he said excitedly. "Is it marble? I bet it's marble, isn't it?"

"You're so damn adorable," I laughed as I walked around the table towards him. "I wanted to make you your favorite… I wanted today to be full of happy memories."

"How could it not be?" He smiled as he reached out and wrapped his arm around my waist. "I have my gorgeous wife here with me on my favorite day of the year, serving me my favorite cake in the world. How could it get any better?"

"Well… we'll see," I sighed. "Here you go."

I set the cake down in front of him, waiting for his response. What I got instead was silence.

"Edward?"

"Bella? What… what does this mean?" he squeaked out.

"Don't you know?"

"Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" His eyes had grown huge, and I noticed that his breathing had picked up. He was either two seconds away from freaking out, or doing cartwheels. It scared me that I wasn't sure which.

I glanced down at the cake in question. _Happy Anniversary, Daddy!_ was written across the top in bold frosting letters.

Unable to speak, I simply grabbed his hand and placed it over my abdomen, nodding slowly as I blinked back tears.

"Is it okay?" I finally whispered. "I know it's earlier than we expected."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" he yelled, causing me to flinch. "Okay? It's fucking _amazing_!" He jumped up and wrapped his arms around me, spinning me around until I was almost dizzy. "Holy shit, Bella! We're going to be _parents_!" The look on his face was almost comical, as if the notion of a baby was great, but the thought of actually being responsible for it was another matter.

Believe me; I knew exactly how he felt.

"So, you're happy, baby?" I asked, unable to keep the insecure tone out of my voice.

"Hey, how can you ask me that?" he said soothingly, lifting my chin up until my lips met his. "Sure, I'm shocked… and overwhelmed," he chuckled, "but I'm fucking ecstatic! I've dreamt of this moment with you since I had you naked in our meadow on prom night."

"Ah, yes," I smiled. "Our naked engagement."

"Mmmhmm," he nodded, kissing me again. "Care to turn this into a naked anniversary?"

"Edward, _all_ of our anniversaries are naked anniversaries."

"True… but this would be a naked baby announcement. That's a whole _new_ milestone to remember."

"You know, every memory we have doesn't have to be a naked memory," I laughed.

"That's where I disagree. _All_ memories are better when they're naked." He swept me up in his arms and walked down the hall to our bedroom.

"Why don't you find a way to convince me, then?" I dared him.

And convince me he did. A few times, as a matter of fact.

The cake finally got eaten, but it made a better midnight snack than a dessert.

"I love you, Edward," I whispered into his chest as we drifted off to sleep with heavy bellies and light hearts.

"I love you, too, Bella. I'll love you forever."

"Forever." I smiled against his warm skin as I drifted off to sleep, loving the way that he already cupped my stomach protectively.

.

.

.

**THE END**

* * *

><p>So, that's it. *sniff, sniff*<p>

This epilogue was always meant to be just a short look into their futures, to see that they are still making it work and happier than ever.

Thank you so much for coming along with me as I followed this plot bunny. I hope you enjoyed reading these kids as much as I enjoyed writing them.


	42. Chapter 42: Announcement

Attention all you Single Game lovers out there...

I have been asked to donate something to the Fandom4LLS fundraiser this year, which helps raise money for people suffering from Leukemia and Lymphoma. I decided that this adorable Shyward needed a chance to speak. I have written an EPOV outtake from this story, and I am really happy with it.

Our lovable Edward has written a beautiful letter to his wife on their anniversary, with many reflections on what was going through his mind when he first met her and was too shy to talk to her.

I will eventually be posting it here online for everyone to read, but not until after December 1st. If you don't want to wait six months to read it and feel like donating to a beautiful charity in the process, just **visit my author page for the link to their website**. Just $10 will get you an enormous compilation of over 80 Twilight authors, as well as some Harry Potter and also Hunger Games fics. You have until the end of August to donate and they will send you your copy in early September.

Just think of sickly little Emmett in this story, suffering from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. What if we could have helped him get better faster and gotten amazing stories to read in the process? Come on, people! Help all the little Emmetts out there.


	43. With All My Love - An EPOV Outtake

So, I totally forgot that I was able to post this chapter back on December 1st. Oops! Sorry for the delay if anyone actually remembered this was coming. Back in June I submitted this outtake to the Fandom4LLS fundraiser and I was so thrilled to see that they surpassed their goal by thousands! Thank you so much to all of you who donated.

This is a simple little outtake where we actually get to see inside our dear sweet Shyward's head and find out what he was thinking all those months ago. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed revisiting this adorkable boy.

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from anything related to Twilight. All characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.<p>

Rated M for Mature Language

With All My Love

A Single Game Outtake

...

_I remember the first time that I saw you as if it were yesterday. How could I ever forget? In one swift moment you took my breath, my words… and my heart. _

…..

"Hey, did you hear that Chief Swan's daughter is starting today?" Emmett asked as he scrolled through my iPod while I drove us to school.

"I guess I didn't know he had a daughter. Is she our grade?" I asked, only half listening as I steered through town.

"That's what I heard. Wonder if she's cute. Hey, let's hope she doesn't have her old man's moustache, huh?" he chuckled, still skipping through songs and driving me crazy because he would never just commit to a playlist.

"Why do you care if she's cute? You and Rose are practically married."

"Not for me, you goober. I was thinking about you."

"_Me_?" I practically yelped, almost missing the turnoff for the school because I was staring at him as if he'd grown another head.

"Don't you think it's time you had a girlfriend?"

"Em, don't start again. I've told you that none of the girls here interest me. I've known everyone here since I was in grade school. Either they are totally repulsive and skanky or they feel like my sisters."

"That's what I'm talking about, man: fresh meat. This Swan girl could knock you off your feet."

"Whatever," I scoffed. "Even if that actually happened, she probably has a thing for jocks, anyway."

"Or she could totally be into bookish computer geeks."

"_Or_ she could have a moustache," I teased.

"Yeah, let's hope I'm wrong about that one," he said as we got out and walked towards the school, causing us both to break into laughter.

By the time Biology class started a few hours later, I wasn't laughing anymore.

"Uh… the teacher said I should sit here," a soft, unfamiliar voice said next to me.

I lifted my head up from my textbook quickly, causing my glasses to slip down my nose. When I pushed them back into place I finally managed to get a look at the owner of the voice.

And then my entire world tilted off its axis.

She was so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her. I felt an instant jolt, like a punch to the gut. My breath caught in my throat, causing the most embarrassing coughing fit that had to make me look like an asthmatic dork.

"Are you alright?" she asked with concern, making me feel even more embarrassed.

"Yeah," I barely choked out as my coughing subsided. "Sorry, what did you say before?"

"I guess this is my new seat," she said, gesturing to the chair next to me at the lab table where I had been sitting alone since the beginning of the school year the week before.

"Oh… okay." I sat there waiting for her to sit down, trying not to make direct eye contact for fear of starting another coughing fit. When she continued to stand there I looked back to see what the problem was, and that's when I realized that my book bag was still sitting in her chair. Some of my classes were too far from my locker to worry about running back between each one and changing out my books, so I usually lugged my bag around for part of the day to save me time. I had gotten used to just plunking it down in the empty chair there and hadn't even thought about it. "Uh, sorry," I mumbled as I grabbed it and dropped it on the floor next to me.

"No problem," she said, sitting down quickly and placing her things on the table. "I'm Bella, by the way."

I glanced over quickly and met her gaze directly, feeling another punch to the gut as I took in the warmest shade of brown eyes I'd ever seen. "Edward." It was practically a whisper.

If she found my behavior strange she didn't mention it. She simply smiled and said, "Cool. So do you go by Eddie or anything like that?"

"Sometimes Ed," I forced out somehow. "But I prefer Edward."

"Edward it is, then," she said with a nod. "Looks like I'm your new lab partner."

"Guess so," I replied, instantly wanting to smack myself on the head for how lame I sounded.

For the rest of the class she kept to herself as we worked on our assignments. I spent the entire time trying to breathe normally and stop staring at her out of the corner of my eye. I thought I was done for at one point when she leaned back and shook out her long brown hair, causing the most intoxicating scent to wash over me. It was like some mixture of berries and wildflowers and sunshine, if that's even possible. I didn't know if it was her perfume or her shampoo or if she just naturally smelled amazing; the only thing I _did_ know was that it went straight to my groin, where I felt an immediate tightening.

I could feel my cheeks heating in embarrassment so I kept my head down and tried to power through the last few minutes of Biology, all while silently wishing my unwanted boner away before I had to stand up and walk to my next class.

The moment the bell rang I shot out of there like my ass was on fire, making a mad dash to the closest restroom where I splashed some cool water on my face and forced myself to get a grip.

The image of Bella's beautiful face and the memory of her luscious scent haunted me all through Calculus. I had no idea what it was about her that had affected me so greatly, but there was no denying that I was already way too into her. I rested my face in my hands, exhaling loudly in frustration. If I was already that into Bella, it only meant one thing for me: it was never going to happen. I had avoided liking other girls in school for as long as I could remember for a very big reason.

Girls that I liked made me way too nervous and shy.

I had no problem talking to anybody else, but whenever someone I liked was around, I would become a huge ball of nerves and clam up for fear of saying something stupid. Just the thought of trying to start a conversation with Bella made my stomach twist into knots, which brought back the humiliating memory of me throwing up on a little girl I used to like in grade school.

Poor Bree. I was actually happy when she moved away not long after that so I didn't have to see her every day.

I made it down to the cafeteria at lunch time and found Emmett already sitting at our table. Knowing that he was the only person who would understand my problem, I sat down next to him sideways so that I could face him as we talked.

"I have a major problem, Em."

"Dude, why are you over here?" he mumbled around a mouthful of pizza. "You usually sit on the other side."

"I know, but I need to talk."

He took one look at me and realized that I was being dead serious. "Okay," he said after finally swallowing. "What's the problem?"

"Bella Swan."

"What about her?"

"She certainly does NOT have her dad's moustache."

It took him a minute to realize what I was telling him before his trademark enormous grin spread over his face. "Holy shit! Little Eddie's got it bad for the chief's daughter!"

"Would you keep it _down_?" I gritted through my teeth, glancing around quickly to see if anyone had overheard him.

"So tell me what the problem is," Emmett said after he finally stopped teasing me.

"She's my new lab partner in Bio."

"So?"

"You know I don't do well with girls I like, Em. I can't talk to them. How can I ever date her when I can't even talk to her?"

"Man, are you still hung up on that? Dude, you were NINE, for god's sake! I think you have matured past the puking point by now."

"I may not puke on her, but that still doesn't mean I can talk to her any easier. I spent the whole class just frozen like a statue. It was horrible!" I reached over and grabbed a Dorito from his lunch tray and threw it in my mouth, crunching it quickly.

"Get your own, asshole," he scolded, slapping my hand when I reached for another one. "Okay, so you've already got it bad for her, she makes you a nervous wreck, and you can't talk to her, is that right?"

"Pretty much."

"Do you have any other classes with her?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, at least it's just for one hour a day. If you're lucky, you won't have to see her anywhere else and you only have to hang in there and wait for Biology to be over." He thought to himself a moment before he continued. "One hour a day is actually good. It gives you time to be around her and slowly get adjusted to her without going into nervous overload. Maybe by the time the school year is over you might actually be able to hold a conversation with her," he chuckled.

"Don't make fun of me!" I said sharply, causing him to sober quickly.

"Sorry man, I know this is important to you. It's frustrating, though. I really want to see you happy, but you are your own worst enemy right now. If you're quiet for too long, some other guy is going to jump in and leave you wishing that you'd done something sooner."

"Believe me, I know," I grumbled.

"Here come the girls," Emmett said after spotting Rose and Alice across the room. "You better be quiet about this unless you want them to start off on some kind of crusade to hook you guys up. They're not the most subtle when it comes to that stuff."

"Good point," I whispered just as they reached our table.

"Hey guys," Rose said as they approached us. "Say hi to our new friend. Alice met her in study hall this morning and she's really sweet, so we asked her to join us for lunch."

I watched in what felt like slow motion as the two girls stepped aside, showing the newcomer who had been walking behind them. It was _her_. As if it could be anyone else with the day I was having. And apparently my closest friends had taken her under their wing to be a new member in our small group of friends.

Great.

"This is Bella," Rosalie introduced her to us, not realizing that she was already the hot topic at the table. "This is my boyfriend, Emmett, and his best friend Edward Cullen," she explained to her as they sat down on the opposite side of us.

Bella looked at me across the table and smiled lightly in recognition, something that sent a whole new round of punches to my gut. "Hey, it's my new lab partner," she said with another smile.

God, those smiles were going to kill me. I wanted to say something simple in return, like 'nice to see you again' or 'how are you doing so far?' but I could feel my throat closing off at the mere suggestion of speaking to her. So I simply grunted and nodded in response to show her that I had heard her. She gave me a puzzled look for a moment, as if she were trying to figure out if I was being a dick to her, when Alice butted in and introduced her to her own boyfriend, Jasper, who had finally made an appearance at the table after coming in from outside. The smell of tobacco was rolling off of him in waves, but at least he didn't reek of pot like he usually did on the weekends.

Things were pretty surreal after that, watching my closest friends interact with each other as usual, but rather than being able to join in the conversation I could only sit there with a lump in my throat. Bella already seemed to be fitting in with everyone, laughing and joking and having a grand old time. She was funny, smart, and had a great sense of humor. She was perfect for me. You know, if I could talk to her and all that.

"Why so quiet, Edward?" Rose asked after a while.

"Headache," I spit out off the top of my head. It seemed to be enough for her, because she went back to discussing some shopping trip with Alice that they had been planning.

The only good thing to come out of that awkward lunch was that I was able to watch Bella more freely sitting across from her than when she was next to me in class. I tried not to be obvious about it, but it was so hard to tear my eyes away from her. She had the most delicate pink lips that were begging to be kissed; I couldn't help but wonder how soft they were and what they tasted like. She also had the thickest eyelashes that I'd ever seen without the help of mascara.

I had no idea how I was going to get through every day sitting by her in both Biology and now apparently lunch without going crazy. If I could just talk to her like I could any other person at the school, maybe I could make her see that I had potential. I just didn't know what it was going to take to get me over my nervousness.

Later that night as I sat at the dinner table with my parents, my father spoke up as I was eating my second helping of casserole. "Son, you seem different today. More quiet. Did something happen at school?"

I thought about lying or trying to distract them, but I knew they wouldn't be as easily dissuaded as my friends had been. "Well, actually…" I looked at my father and mother's expectant faces and took a deep breath. "I met a girl today."

"Sweetheart, that's wonderful!" my mother gasped.

"Well, not really," I replied.

"Why on Earth not?" she asked, confusion clear on her face.

"I don't know how I'm ever going to talk to her."

"Still get nervous?" my father asked with understanding.

"Oh, sweetie… after all this time?"

"Yes, Mom. I can't help it and I don't know what to do about it. She's new and any day some other guy who doesn't freeze up is going to ask her out."

"Can you tell us about her?" she asked. "I'd begun to think you might not be interested in girls."

"Mom!"

"Well, it's been years since you've shown any interest. Can you blame me? I wouldn't have cared, you know. You'll always be my sweet boy no matter who you love."

"Thanks, I appreciate that, but I really do like girls. I just haven't met any that I have liked in a long time."

"So?" my father said with a smile. "What's she like?"

"Her name is Bella. Bella Swan. I guess she used to live in Phoenix with her mom but she decided to live here with her dad for her last year before college." So I might have been eavesdropping over lunch.

"Charlie's girl?" my dad said in surprise. "I forgot he even _had_ a daughter. That must be, what? At least fifteen years or more since she's been around here."

"You know her?" I asked.

"Not really, no. But I remember when the chief's wife left him. It caused quite a bit of gossip at the time. She apparently just packed up everything and took their daughter with her, saying that she hated it here."

"That's sad," my mother whispered before turning to me again. "What does she look like, darling?"

"She's beautiful," I gushed before I could stop myself. "The most beautiful girl I've ever met in person. She has long brown hair and soft brown eyes. She seems smart and funny from what I've seen. I don't know what it is about her, but she makes me feel all twisted inside."

"Well, I can't wait to meet her," my father chuckled.

"Dad, haven't you been listening?"

"Oh, sure I have. And I also know my son. From what you just said I know that it may take a while, but I have no doubt that one day you'll be bringing her home to meet us."

If only I could have his confidence.

…..

_I pined after you desperately for almost two months, always waiting to hear the horrible news that you had begun dating someone else. Not that there weren't attempts; I'd heard about at least three different football jocks who had been shot down by you in rapid succession. I kept hoping that perhaps I was more your type, but you never seemed to notice me much after that first day. Of course, it didn't help that I never spoke to you. _

_But I watched you._

_I couldn't help myself._

_You were the brightest and darkest hour of my day at the same time. I would feel such joy at being close to you, yet such despair at being unable to let you know how I felt. I would sit alone in my room at night and make playlists of songs that said the words I couldn't, wishing that I could find the courage to actually burn a CD for you. I knew that if I ever gave you one that I would have to do it anonymously, and that worried me that someone else might get the credit. I sure as hell wasn't going to help some other guy to win you over. _

_Deep down, I kept hoping that you would somehow see through my fears and put me out of my misery. I knew that I wasn't exactly acting like the most approachable of guys, but whenever you would speak to me in class about an assignment, I hoped that you would keep going to force me out of my shell, that you wouldn't take my one word replies as an answer. Why I thought it would actually do any good, I have no idea, but I wanted you to try just the same. _

_I wanted you to see me. _

_I wanted you to see that there was more to me than a quiet, bookish lab partner. I wanted you to realize that I had the potential to be so much more if you would only be patient with me and give me a chance._

_But you never seemed to notice me. I was simply the quiet guy who hung out with your new friends. _

_I thought I would never be anything more. _

…..

"She doesn't even know I exist, Em," I said to him for what felt like the thousandth time that week. He kept bringing up Bella in conversation lately and suggesting that I try harder to talk to her.

"I think you're running out of time, man," he said quietly as we sat together over lunch, once again the first ones to the table.

I was struck with an instant surge of panic. "What do you mean? Is she dating someone?"

"No… not yet. But I don't think it's very far away, from what Rose told me."

"What did she say?" I could feel the remnants of the chili cheese Fritos I'd just eaten already churning in my stomach.

"She said that Bella told Alice this morning in study hall that she thinks she's ready to start dating again."

"Really?" I felt a mixture of hope and dread forming.

"Yeah. And that got me thinking. Maybe it's a good thing that you haven't been able to ask her out before now. If she was that put off on dating until now, she probably would have just said no and broken your heart. But maybe if you try to get comfortable talking to her, she'll start to see you as an option."

"I don't think it's going to help," I said with a frown. "I actually did talk to her today in class." She had looked so frazzled and upset when she came into Biology that I somehow forced myself to ask her if she was alright.

"Really? That's great!"

"No, it isn't. She totally blew me off. She was so distracted; it was like she couldn't be bothered to talk to me."

He sighed loudly and looked at me. "Well, it's not like she's used to talking to you about things. Give the girl a break. Maybe she didn't want to bother you, especially if it's about this dating stuff."

"Maybe," I grumbled, telling myself not to get my hopes up where Bella was concerned. "But this only means that she'll finally say yes to one of your jock buddies on the team."

"Hey, there's only one guy worth dating on that team, and I'm taken," he said with a laugh. "I'm just saying that if you don't put yourself out there now, it might never happen. She has to know that you are open to her."

"I don't know if I can do it." Even I could hear how pathetic I sounded.

"Suit yourself," he said, straightening up a bit on the bench when he noticed Rosalie enter the room. "Just don't come crying to me when she ends up dating someone else and you're left jerking off to her yearbook picture every night."

"I don't—" He cut me off with a lift of his eyebrow. Okay, I totally do that. "Alright," I sighed. "I'll try harder." We grew quiet as the rest of our group joined us. I tried to actually make eye contact with Bella that day across the cafeteria table, but she was still too wrapped up in whatever was going on in her head. I told myself to be patient, promising myself that I would do my best to start a conversation with her at my next opportunity.

I was shocked when my next opportunity turned out to be that very night.

I had been sitting in the bleachers at the football field, waiting for Emmett to finish with practice so I could give him a ride home, when Bella showed up and sat on the opposite end of the same row as me. I don't think she noticed me, as usual. She just kept her head down and started doing homework until Rosalie came up and talked to her a bit.

I had an ongoing list of orders looping through my mind as I watched her. _Go talk to her… Ask her about Biology… Ask her if she has a pen… See if she needs a ride home… Show her that you're interested… _

At that moment Rose's voice broke through my litany. "Hi, Edward!" I glanced up to find her waving at me as she was walking away from Bella, back towards the field. I waved back to her, only to find a surprised Bella looking at me when I was done.

"Oh, hi!" she said with a bright smile. "I didn't see you over there."

"Hi, Bella," I replied as loudly as my constricting throat would allow, but it must not have been loud enough because she actually got up and moved closer.

What followed was both the longest conversation we had ever had and the most embarrassed I'd ever been with myself. Seriously, it was worse than the puke incident. I could excuse a scared nine year old; I couldn't excuse the giant pussy I had apparently become.

She tried so hard to be nice and get me talking, and what did I do? I fucking froze again. She asked me about class and our friends and all she got in return was a mumble and a shrug. Inside I was screaming at myself 'Speak up, now's your chance!' but I couldn't make any more words come out.

I had been just about to force myself to blurt out _anything_ I could think of when she suddenly stopped talking and apologized for being rude. _What?_ I should have spoken up then, told her that _I_ was the one who was being rude, but I was so absolutely shocked and horrified that I couldn't even blink.

Now, not only did she worry that she was bothering me, but the fact that I didn't correct her only confirmed it in her mind.

Before I could shake off my alarm, she had already returned to her spot and started reading again.

I was so upset with myself that I just grabbed my things and went to wait in my car, wishing that a giant sinkhole would open up and swallow me on the way.

After tossing and turning all night, I got up the next day prepared to man up. I couldn't have Bella going around thinking the wrong thing about me. She needed to know that she wasn't bothering me and I was actually thrilled that she had talked to me at all.

I got to Biology as early as possible to try and get a handle on my nerves. My stomach was in knots and I could feel sweat beading on my forehead, but I was determined to speak first today. When she finally entered the room I could feel my heart leap in my chest.

I kept waiting for her to make eye contact with me as she approached our desk, but she never did. Once she finally sat down I took a deep breath and said, "Hey," which was our usual morning greeting, except I said it first this time.

Only she didn't say it back.

She didn't even look at me. She only nodded quickly to acknowledge that she'd heard me. I felt an instant sinking in my stomach; something told me that she had been more hurt by the night before than I'd realized.

I wanted to lean in and whisper to her, but our teacher started up right away and there wasn't any chance without getting caught. He handed out our assignments for the day and Bella wouldn't even look at me to give me my copy, she simply slid it towards my general direction across the table. The only words she spoke through the whole class were the different stages of mitosis that we had to identify as a team.

I watched her all through class, willing her to look at me, wanting a chance to show her how sorry I was. I hoped that even if I could mouth the words to her she might let me speak to her more freely later, but her gaze remained on her paper.

It wasn't until the end of class that I finally got another chance to get her attention. When it came time to hand in our slides, I handed the last one to her directly, forcing her to take it from me. As soon as her fingers closed around it I took a deep breath and brushed my own fingertips over hers. I had never touched her before, and it felt like an electric current was running through us the instant our skin made contact. It only lasted for a moment, but she let out a quiet gasp before pulling away from me, which gave me hope that she had felt it, too.

I watched as she threw her items back into her book bag, wishing again that she would just look at me. When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, I leaned in towards her to ask her to wait, but something she did at that moment made my heart lurch. She very clearly reached up and wiped tears out of her eyes. She'd been crying!

"Bye, Edward," she choked out before jumping up and running out the door. It had sounded so final, as if she were saying goodbye to whatever friendship we'd had.

Before I knew what I was doing I was on my feet and running after her. I couldn't take this any longer. Even if she never wanted to date me, I couldn't have her thinking that I was some jerk who was rude to her.

I finally caught her at her locker as she was tossing some books inside. "Bella?"

"Yeah?" she croaked, slamming the door harder than necessary before turning around to face me. I simply stared at her for a moment, noticing the obvious proof of her crying in her red, teary eyes. It hurt me so much to see her like that and it made me absolutely sick to think I had been the one to cause it.

"You weren't bothering me," I finally forced out after an awkward silence.

"What?"

"Last night. You thought you were bothering me. I should have spoken up instead of letting you walk away."

A look of disbelief quickly covered her features. "You don't have to spare my feelings, Edward. I get it. I know I sometimes talk too much." She stopped and gave me the saddest smile I'd ever seen. "I'm just sorry that I didn't realize how annoying I was before now."

_Annoying?_ "No! _Dammit_… that's what I'm trying to tell you!" I felt a boiling rage forming under my skin, but it wasn't aimed at anyone but myself. I was so sick of being a slave to my nerves and insecurities. Before I knew what I was doing, my hands had reached up and cupped her face. I felt that same electricity starting to hum between us, and I was momentarily hypnotized by the silken texture of her skin. I watched as my thumbs traced small patterns on her cheeks, getting closer and closer to her perfect mouth with each pass. "Listen to me, Bella," I heard myself whisper from far away, as if I weren't controlling my own body. "You have never annoyed me. _Never_."

I stared at her lips as I spoke, feeling drawn to her by some magnetic pull. They looked so lovely and delicious. I swear to God, if I hadn't been distracted by someone's locker slamming a few doors down, I very well could have kissed her right there on that spot. I glanced up quickly to her eyes and was surprised to find that they were closed, her chest rising and falling rapidly as if she were out of breath.

I realized in that moment that Bella Swan was _waiting_ for me to kiss her. She may not have even known she was, but the body language was clear as day.

Somehow I found the strength to pull away, not wanting such a strange occurrence to happen right there in the middle of the hallway at school. Without saying another word, I turned and walked away as quickly as I could. I didn't trust myself to stay there any longer. Plus, I figured that I'd better quit while I was ahead.

I smiled to myself as I went to my next class, feeling a surge of confidence that was absolutely foreign to me as I reviewed the few things I'd just learned.

Bella Swan actually cared whether I liked her or not.

She also seemed to feel whatever that strange connection was when we touched.

And most importantly, she had wanted me to kiss her.

That boded very well for any chance I might have at dating her.

The rest of the day flew by in a daze. I was still reeling from what I had done, and even more so from what I had almost done. I was wondering if lunch would be awkward with her after that, but Bella and Alice were strangely absent from our table and I didn't see her again for the rest of the school day. I couldn't help worrying that I had somehow scared her off, but Emmett assured me that her being nervous for a change might be a good thing.

"Trust me, bro," he said as he scarfed down a quick meal before the game that night. "If she reacted like you said she did, then I think you just might have a fighting chance yet. I also think it's safe to say she's picked up on the fact that you're interested in her. Proud of you, man," he said with a nod, clapping me roughly on the shoulder. His cellphone rang as he swallowed his last bite, and by the huge smile on his face I could only assume it was Rosalie. "Hey, baby! What's up?" I ate a few more French fries as they spoke, thinking back on how soft Bella's skin was. "Okay, good to know. See you at the game." He hung up the phone and smiled wickedly at me. "Guess who's finally coming to my after party?"

"Bella? Really?" She had yet to make an appearance at one of Emmett's legendary after parties, regardless of how many times Rose and Alice had invited her. They always hoped she would come, and I'd be a liar if I said that I also hadn't been looking for her at every one since she'd moved here.

"The timing on this is perfect, don't you think? Hey, maybe you two can hook up during the Single Game," he laughed.

"Don't even _joke_ about that, man," I groaned, my stomach already in knots at the thought. "I don't want to risk kissing other girls." Or her kissing other guys, for that matter.

"Dude, relax. I'm only teasing. I'd never force you to play that. Baby steps, Ed."

"Okay, good." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Baby steps, I can handle."

Little did I know that at that very moment on the other side of town, Rose and Alice were advising a very doubtful Bella that the best way to get me to open up was for her to play the Single Game to make me jealous and force my hand.

…..

_I'll never forget that first night at Emmett's. I had no intention of playing that damn game, but as soon as you sat down to join in you raised the stakes. I couldn't stand the thought of watching you kissing other guys right there in front of me, so before I knew what I was doing, I was seated across from you and trying not to panic. I kept hoping and praying that fate would take it easy on me for once and let me draw your name. If I'd had any idea that our friends were going to rig the whole thing in our favor I might have felt less like passing out. _

_Our first kiss, my very first kiss ever, was right there in front of the entire party thanks to some creative instructions that you pulled out of a game bag. I never wanted it to happen that way, with what felt like the whole world watching, but whenever I think back to it I can honestly say it's one of my fondest memories. The feel of your soft lips against mine made me absolutely dizzy. _

_Your kisses still do that to me after all these years. _

_After the final round of that game, everything changed. I went with you into that dark closet full of dread and anxiety. Twenty minutes later, I came back out with a huge smile on my face and a mind full of plans for our date the following night. _

_I knew I was in love with you before we left that closet._

_You were always so patient with me after that, letting me take my time getting comfortable with you and always happily teaching me anything I wanted to know. I've always been so thankful that I never wasted my time with anyone else before you. _

_The first time we made love I knew I was going to marry you. _

_You became my home that night. I knew then that I would never feel right without you by my side. _

_I know that we didn't officially tie the knot until the summer after graduation, but that night in the rain when you finally found the courage to admit your love for me… that's the moment I married you in my heart. _

_As I write this, I can hear you getting ready for our big anniversary party in the other room. You're probably worrying right now about microscopic crow's feet and how your ass looks in your new dress, but you're wasting your time. You are more beautiful to me now than the day I married you thirty years ago. _

_You have given me two beautiful children who are going to be here any moment with their even more beautiful children in tow. I don't know how I'm going to get through tonight without crying like a little girl, because every time I get you all together in one room I feel so overwhelmed with joy at what my life has become. _

_I want to thank you for this life we've shared. None of this would have happened if you hadn't had faith in me when I told you that our age didn't matter, that I knew I'd never want anyone else for the rest of my days. _

_You took a scared boy and turned him into a man who knew what he wanted. _

_All I ever wanted was you. _

_I love you more than one letter could ever convey, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next thirty years with you. _

_You are my life, my love, and my heart._

_With all my love,_

_Edward_

_P.S. I can't wait until everyone leaves and I get to peel that dress off of you. You're still the sexiest grandmother in history._

THE END


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